‘“At last!” the man exclaimed. “This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken from ‘man.’” This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ Genesis 2:23-24(NLT)
‘For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”’ Mark 10:45(NLT)
‘Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.’ Philippians 2:1-4(NLT)
‘“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ “And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’’ Matthew 25:34-40(NLT)
When people marry they share vows to express a commitment to love, honor, stand by, and share life together in good and bad times.
In our early married life, we had a lot of disagreements and arguments. We were not seeing our spouse as the gift God intended.
I asked myself,
- “If we vowed to become one with each other, why are we so divided?”
- “What happened to the commitments we made to each other?”
- “What happened to the excitement we shared while dating?”
The answer lied in our motives. We were two strong-willed people before we met. Our self-centeredness became the root of our disagreements. As we tried to change each other, we were pushing each other away and draining life out of each other.
Unity is, “the state of being joined together, agreement”.
Oneness is, “unity of thought, feeling, belief, goals”.
Next to God, our spouse is (should be) our most important relationship. Communication is the beginning of unity, as each focuses on knowing the thoughts, fears, worries, and dreams within each other.
Suggestions:
Pray often for your family, asking the Holy Spirit to help you understand each heart.
Include every member (including adult children) in family fun and activities.
Let your anniversary celebrate your wedding day, as well as the day you started living life with your spouse’s children. Celebrate your life together, with a gift (flowers, card, or other token) of your appreciation. When we invest in our spouse’s children, we love our spouse more completely.
As a family, pick a day each month to serve your community (meals, a food kitchen, nursing home, hospital visits, cleaning someone’s yard.)
Create new traditions for your new family (holidays, birthdays, special celebrations, your ideas.)
Recall the vows you shared at your wedding. Is there growth toward unity?
How can you serve your spouse and stepchildren better?
Our prayer for you:
Jesus You are “one” with the Father. You gave Your life to remove our sins, and adopted us. You stop at nothing to demonstrate Your unconditional and faithful love. Help us love our self, our spouse and new children with the selfless love You show us! Guide our thoughts and steps to build our family, in the Name of Jesus!
Copyright 2019 Moe and Paige Becnel @ Blending A Family Ministry
from Blending A Family