Women have quite a reputation for treating their husbands as their savior - maybe not literally, but figuratively sure enough. It's so easy to expect your husband to be: The person who's going to pull you from the trenches; the person who's going to renew your soul; the one who makes things all better at every weak moment; the one who's there every second of every day to lift you up; and, the one who's going to overwhelm your heart with all of your needs. Don't we often catch ourselves expecting these things from our husbands? While husbands can meet some of these needs from time to time, it's dangerous to allow your happiness and life's work to rest in the arms of another person who, frankly, was made as imperfect as you.
The truth is, no earthly person or thing an be counted on to fulfill our heart and life except the savior of the world, Jesus Christ. He came to save us; husbands did not. Husbands are here to love, protect, and provide for us. Think I sound like some crazy Bible-thumping mama exhausting scripture to get you to stop nagging your husband for every need of your heart? Look at it this way...whatever we rely on outside of Jesus will eventually leave or pass away. Nothing else is forever, that includes husbands (things, friends, pets, jobs, food, drinks, etc). That's a point you can't argue - Bible believer or not. If you treat the things of this world like they are here to stay, you will some day find yourself in a pit of despair, guaranteed.
None of these things can fulfill your longing like Christ who is always there; He never leaves us. Trusting in Christ will not only transform your heart; He will be glorified through your relationships, and there's nothing more beautiful than that. He will allow you to reach to others with a Christlike spirit. He will soften your heart to your husband's shortcomings and allow you to understand that pure, true happiness only rests in the arms of your true savior - Jesus Christ. Through Jesus, the things you thought you needed from your husband will pass away and you will be able to experience what it's like to love another person through the heart of Christ despite their imperfections.
So, ladies, I'm speaking to myself as loud and clear as I'm speaking to you. Our sinful nature causes us all to think selfishly from time to time; next time you find yourself fretting over your your imperfect husband just remember this, God designed him that way for a reason. After-all, how much fun would it be for a perfect man to be married to an imperfect woman such as we all are?
---
How can I pray for you today?This post is linked up to Grace Laced Mondays, Better Mom Mondays and Just for Fun Fridays
Hop on over to to those awesome sites to see who else is sharing.
Great post. If we think that spouses exist to fill a void in our lives, we will not only be disappointed, but idolatrous. But as you said, the Lord is glorified in our relationship with our spouse, and ultimately, that is the purpose of marriage (and the greatest way that we'll receive joy from it!)
ReplyDeleteIdolatrous most definitely. There's a keyword that should have been included in my post. Thanks for the additional insight, Ruth!
DeleteThis is so true! We are both imperfect but we are who God gave us and we should remember that.
ReplyDeleteSometimes it's difficult when we want to be made to "feel" a particular way 24hrs a day, but really do things come into focus when we just consider that we. are. all. imperfect. :)
DeleteGreat reminder! Not to forget our first love = Christ. Love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jen! :) Our heritage is in the Lord! Such a blessing.
DeleteI can relate to this post. I put my faith in my wonderful hubby during those first few years of marriage and not only was it idolatrous, it set him up for such a dramatic fall when I was disappointed in something small. I prefer to think of him as my brother in Christ.
ReplyDeleteAmen, Kelly. You said it all in a nutshell. :)
DeleteSo cool that you wrote on this topic! It really hits home for me because it was a much needed lesson only recently learned for both of us... and ever after, always a great reminder! Thanks Tess : ) So glad I subscribed to your blog!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Syb. It's such a natural mistake to make, you know? When you're physically with someone for so long and for so much of your day, it's natural to look to them as your partner, the fix-it person. The problem is, the more we magnify someone else, the smaller focus we have on God. It's a hard lesson learned, but certainly a worthy one. Thanks so much for subscribing. :)
Delete