So sorry I got behind yesterday. I was going non stop from 8 am- 10:30 pm last night. I didn't know I could pack that much into a day... Whew!
I hope everyone has had a good weekend. Justin and I will be leaving tomorrow for our get away. Prayers for safe travel are welcomed! I plan to take my laptop with me so I hope to keep on track with our devotional. Feel free to post whenever you are ready, though. Don't feel like you have to wait on me.
Ok today's topic... This is a very practical and important part of marriage I think. I never thought of reconciliation as a ministry though. Here are a couple of quotes from today's reading that really touched me.
" Reconciliation redeems relationships, restoring harmony, peace, and agreement. "
"Your pride will tempt you to withhold, your intellect will try to justify what is fair, your heart will attempt to manipulate your motives"
I really identify with the second quote. That just about covers all my rationals when reconciliation is needed, yet I fight hard against it. I am so guilty of holding onto past hurts and offenses, keeping a running tally, and I am very reluctant to apologize when it's warranted. This is yet again another area God is revealing to me through scripture and this devotional that I need his intervention and guidance with. Does anyone else feel the same? I think for me this is a big area Satan uses as a stronghold. Justin is usually the first to reconcile. I am often guilty of being stubborn and unwilling to let it go and make up or mend our relationship.
Here is something Jennifer said that I couldn't agree more with:
For me it comes down to pride and a defensive stance I take to seek justification and validation for my feelings. When I feed my heart reasons why I am right or reasons why I should not give in by apologizing or forgiving, I lose sight of the fact that my husband and I are one and on the same team. The longer I allow pride to rule in my heart the harder it becomes to reconcile. What I am learning is that humility yields the right to be right, which is necessary for two sinners to remain one.
A quote from another wife:
It's so easy for me to forget that there is a purpose for my marriage, that God brought us together for a reason. It's easy to just go about "normal life" & ignore His purpose for us daily. Through my marriage God has shown me what forgiveness really is. It's not saying that I'm over something & then holding it against my husband when I'm having a bad day. Can you imagine if that was God's way of forgiveness? He's shown me that it is letting go of all the hurt & never looking back at it. I'm not always good at this but when I do genuinely forgive my husband, God gives me an overwhelming peace & I know it reflects His character.
Just curious... what are somethings that keep you girls from reconciling with your husband? or allowing you to mend your relationship after a fight/argument?
Sorry I'm behind myself. This weekend really got away from me, and then our internet was down.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, Day 6's topic on reconciliation was very appropriate for my husband and I last night and into this morning. Last evening Torey was upset with me because our sheets were not on our bed after I washed them. It was a very small argument, but he wasn't happy that I didn't cater to his need when he was ready for bed. It was upsetting, but the moment he woke me up this morning he apologized and I forgave him. That was the last moment I was upset about it. See, that's just it. Torey is usually better at apologizing or reconciling with me than I am with him. I'm usually the stubborn one who mostly feels like I'm right. Usually it is my pride that hinders me from forgiveness, even when I know it needs to be done.
I really think this is an area that is crucial to understand God's purpose in a marriage. It's a tough thing in marriage and if both husband and wife don't understand the gift of reconciliation, it can be tough to grow as one and as a team when you have arguments. I pray that over the next few days when I tell Torey about the devotional that I have the right words so he understands God's message about reconciliation just as I do in the devotional.