Week 7

What do you expect to discover in this week’s write-up below?

Yes, expectations are part of life and they are a powerful determinant of our wellbeing.

The key is to have healthy expectations. This is a key area to work on for all married couples.

We change over time in many ways. Even our expectations change. Focus on keeping our expectations of our marriage in check regularly so that they do not affect our marriage life negatively in any way .

Do You Think She Is More…Than Me?

Though we seldom get ourselves caught like Kevin in the weekly Marriage Moments in making comparisons of our spouse with some other person(s), we do slip into that in our hearts on and off, especially during those occasions when we consider our spouse to be below par in certain areas of life.

The problem really begins when this ‘below par’ view of our spouse starts to taint our respect for one another.

The four principles that are outlined in the Marriage Moments are worth embracing, especially principles 2 and 3.

‘What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.’  George Levinger

Worth Thinking About

Reading of Romans 15:7, ‘Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.’ is sobering when we think about how imperfect we all are.

One thing I learnt over the years is the power of building the foundation of relationship as that of purposefully accepting another person as who (and what) he/she. It is with the growing relationship that one earns the respect to speak into another’s life. If there are things you wish to help the person to change, the first step is accepting that person as he/she is.

Worth Praying About

Praying wife. ‘Father, bless my husband and our marriage. May he respect and love me as Christ loves the church. May I be worthy to my husband, bringing him good but not harm. Thank you for this life partner whom you have given me. Help me to show my reverence for and trust in him. Teach me how to pray more effectively for him. I ask in Jesus’ name, Amen.’

Praying husband. ‘Lord, give me a clean heart and a renewed spirit. Show me any wrong attitude and thoughts, especially those towards my wife.  Help me to forgive and let go of my anger.  Reveal to me behaviours that I need to change. I will confess my sin and go after Your own heart. Enable me to be the head of my home and family that You have created me to be.’

Worth Doing

Think of one thing (talent, skill, experience, etc) that your spouse has that you do not have and choose a good time and a good way to let him/her know this week.