God overwhelms me with his kindness on a daily basis. And it’s his kindness that leads me to a place of repentance and forgiveness.
I realize that since I have been so freely forgiven, I’m called to freely forgive.
But I have also found it’s easy for me to forgive someone far away. And yet oh so hard to forgive the person closest to me. That’s why I continue to ask God for his help as I work on forgiveness in my marriage- often on a daily basis.
Because there’s more to marriage than simply “sticking it out”.
I believe marriage was designed to resemble a heaven-like goodness on the earth. A sacred space that reflects the image of a love-relationship with God.
I also believe that we were designed for out-of-this-world unity and heart connection in marriage – a unity that symbolizes the oneness God designed us to enjoy with himself.
And the more forgiveness there is, the more “heaven on earth” there is.
This month we’ve talked a lot about the power of conversation, prayer, sex and quality time for creating connection in marriage.
But at the core, if there is unforgiveness, there is discord, disunity and relational destruction. Unforgiveness becomes the roadblock that keeps us from moving forward in love.
C.S. Lewis said this:
“Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.”
Forgiveness is the key for having a truly happy “Valentine’s Month”. It can be hard, but to offer and receive forgiveness, dear friends, is the only way to really live.
It’s the power to forgive that equips us for a “heaven on earth” way of being married.
When we forgive, we don’t do it alone, but by the power of a forgiving God who indwells us.
So let’s go to our gracious God and pray together.
God-
Today I lift up my husband/wife and pray you would bless them. Even though there are places in my heart that ache because of deep wounds from him/her, I pray that you would give me the grace to see them as you see them, and to forgive them as you have freely forgiven me.
I release them from my grip of unforgiveness, and ask for Your spirit to repair what is broken between us. I pray that heaven-like unity, healing and peace would be the theme of our relationship.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Unforgiveness ties our hands, but forgiveness frees them to love and receive love again.
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– The Man Corner –
One reader suggested adding a “Man Corner” so she could easily share these posts with her husband. She wanted to be able to share an idea or start a conversation from this series in a way that he could skip my “wordiness” and simply read summarizing bullet points at the bottom.
So here are some ideas to summarize the point of today’s post. Share away.
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There is more to marriage that just sticking it out.
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Marriage was designed to be a heaven on earth experience. Where we taste of God’s design for people to be one with Himself.
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“Forgiving and being forgiven are two names for the same thing. The important thing is that a discord has been resolved.” C.S. Lewis
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Unforgiveness ties our hands. Forgiveness frees us to love and be loved.
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Pray for God’s power to forgive, and offer (and receive) it today.