Husbands And Wives

May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth. -- Proverbs 5:18 NIV

Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. -- Ephesians 5:25 NIV

The partnership between a husband and his wife is a very, very special one. Just as the relationship between parent and child can be a mirror to the relationship between God and His children, the husband/wife relationship is a mirror for Christ and His church.

You each bring unique and crucial things to the table. On some things you'll be opposites, on some you'll be the same. It's the blending of your differences and similarities that creates the new creation that the Bible calls 'one flesh'.

At no other time of the year is this more critical than fall. Thanksgiving and Christmas together can serve to dramatically increase the stress level in your relationship. There are gifts to buy, parties to attend, and school plays and concerts to see. There can be financial stress, family stress, parental stress, workplace stress. It's easy for all of that to add up to problems. We tend to blow our partner off because there is just too much to do!

Instead, make this Christmas season a time to celebrate and re-kindle your marriage. When the outside stresses increase, tighten your hold on each other. Be deliberate about finding regular time to spend together, just the two of you...even if it's just a few minutes in the car. Remember that Jesus is why we celebrate and that you God is the reason you are together. You are a team in the truest since of the word and God is your captain. Listen to the captain! He has excellent strategies and instructions for you and if you will follow them there is no way the Christmas season, or anything else for that matter, can defeat you.