I was not passionate about sharing stories of my marriage with others until people started telling me that our marriage was an encouragement to them. It was not something I intended on using in other people's lives but instead seemed to be naturally happening on it's own.
Whether people are saying anything or not, they are watching your marriage. Your married friends might compare their marriage with yours. Your single friends look to you in deciding whether or not marriage is for them. Your children watch you as they base their ideas of what marriage looks like from an early age. People are watching and you have a responsibility to what your marriage is portraying.
That is a heavy responsibility. A single friend of mine told me once that I am one of two couples that she knows in her life that she would consider a thriving marriage. She is not sure if marriage is for her because she sees so many other couples live with an unhappy marriage.
It is not about appearing like we have it all together or making sure we behave in public so people never see the real side of our marriage. Instead it is knowing that my relationship with my husband not only affects us but it affects others. I have the choice in deciding if that is either a positive or negative affect.
I believe my life purpose is to encourage other women. I cannot do that well if my marriage is struggling.
I want to have people in my home, spend time with friends, and show kindness to my neighbors. This is going to be a lot harder to do if my husband and I are always bickering.
One day when we have children of our own, I want to set a standard for them of what a healthy and happy marriage looks like. I want them to know that it is worth holding out to find the right person to marry and that both men and women in relationships should be treated with respect.
If you choose to have children, your marriage will have generational impact for years to come. Your marriage affects how your kids turn out and the type of relationships they pursue. That later gets passed on even further to your grandchildren and great grandchildren.
We worry about financial stability to be able to send our kids off to college. We send them to playgroups so that they can learn to socialize. We research how to teach our children, what to feed them, and how to raise them to leave a mark on the world. But how often do we spend that time working on our marriage? Not just for our own sake but because of the influence it will have on our children and anyone we come into contact with.
Your marriage is a testimony to what your priorities are and people are taking notes whether you would like them to or not.
So when I say something sarcastic, do not listen to my husband, disrespect him, and fail to serve him as I believe I can, I am not just tearing down our marriage but I am showing others that I am not valuing my marriage as much as I should.
We are not perfect and we are all going to fail at some point in our marriage. The point is, let's look at our marriage not just as an opportunity to love and serve our spouse but as a way to also encourage, uplift, and challenge others. May our marriages shed light into the lives of others and give hope that committing to one person, for the rest of your life, can be a beautiful and exciting thing.
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Today Thalita of The Learner Observer is sharing her thoughts on my new book, 31 Days of Serving My Husband: The Devotional. Be sure to visit her blog to hear her take on the book as well as get a peak into her lovely home!
Today's post is part of a week long series promoting my new book, 31 Days of Serving My Husband: The Devotional. Would you be willing to devote 31 days to bettering your marriage? I bet your marriage is worth it.
