Sacrifice brings Blessings

“Afflictions are the process by which God cultivates growth… Since marriage is God’s finishing school, we should expect more afflictions or challenges in marriage than in any other arena of life.” –H. Wallace Goddard

 Marriage is the greatest blessing, but also brings some of the greatest tests. In order for a marriage to be a joyful one, we must learn to nurture it. I haven’t been married for very long, but in the 5 months that I have been married I’ve learned that it doesn’t work if you put yourself first. There is no way to focus on our spouse if we are so worried about ourselves. It’s an adjustment because before marriage we spend all our time worrying about ourselves… or at least it seems like it. Where should I go to school? Where should I work? How do I look? Who should I marry? How do I feel about that? All of our decisions are based on what we want and what we think is best. Marriage is a whole different story. In marriage it changes from ME to WE… and it’s wonderful! But we must choose for it to be that way.

Goddard said, “A godly approach to marriage will entail inconvenience and sacrifice.” Any time we put someone before ourselves is a sacrifice, but blessings come from sacrifice. I think a great and powerful “sacrifice” is to admire your spouse. Pay attention to the small… and big things that your spouse selflessly does and what it is that you truly love about them (maybe even what made you fall in love in the first place). Make a conscious effort to recognize your spouse’s strengths, and look past weaknesses. It’s important to remember that we all have weaknesses.

Another great and important sacrifice is to put your spouse first. Let your spouse know that they are important to you. Let them feel that they are loved. My husband and I both work full-time and do school full-time. Sometimes it’s easy for these things to get in the way of each other. We’ve noticed this and the effect it has on our relationship and have made a goal to make sure we go on a date once a week. This is a time that we can put everything else behind us and just focus on each other. We look forward to our weekly dates and are able to reconnect after a long, hard week. It's my favorite!  I encourage all to take time every week to date your spouse. It makes all the difference and is such a blessing! Let your spouse know that they are the most important thing to you!