‘For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ‘ Romans 3:23(NLT)
‘Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. ‘ Hebrews 10:23-24(NLT)
My wife and I hosted a marriage summit in which we interviewed 20 different couples who are living out the 7 Rings through lasting and fulfilling marriages. In addition to interviewing the other couples and learning from their marriages, we decided to jump in the interview seat ourselves. We asked one of the husbands to ask us several questions about our marriage.
One of his first questions was, “Stephana, does Jackie practice what he preaches?” Wow, what a way to come out of the gates! And what a friend (I gave him a list of questions and that wasn’t on the list). Well, my wife didn’t hesitate to answer.
She responded by saying, “Jackie is fallible…” And she went on to say, “We are both fallible.” So true and another one of the reasons why I love my wife.
The same is true about you and your spouse. We all sin, we all make mistakes, we all are fallible. It’s because of this that forgiveness is paramount in a marriage. Without forgiveness there can’t be healing when we go through the challenges that are caused by our own sin. Without forgiveness there is no restoration. Without restoration our marriages are stuck and dying right before our eyes.
Your spouse is going to mess up from time to time. Some, like me, will mess up more often than not. Yet, just like God did with us, we must show the same grace to our spouses.
Spend time in prayer confessing your sins before God and to each other. Ask for His help to turn from them. Ask Him to help you put your hope in Him, not in your spouse (Hebrews 10:23-24).
from The 7 Rings Of Marriage