Devotional on Marriage #1: Forgiving Flaws

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Ephesians 4:32

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as Christ God forgave you."

Oftentimes, we always want to see our husbands following everything we tell them. We expect them to be "this" and "that", and we find ourselves nagging in the end because they couldn't just be "what we expect them to be".

My marriage is young, but I can say every relationship is different and maturity doesn't come with age - it comes with EXPERIENCE.

In over a decade of marriage, I can say that I expected too much from my husband. But I always end up getting disappointed because he just keeps on repeating the same mistake over and over again.

As I reflected on God's word in Ephesians 4:32, I came to realize that it is really our duty to be forgiving. God wants us to show kindness and compassion at all times, and give off forgiveness comparing it to how Jesus forgave us from our sins.

True, it's a struggle to immediately absolve my husband from his "wrongdoings" (based on my judgment). But yes, I always forgive him in spite of my "crying and yelling and telling him what he did wrong, and then he says "sorry", becomes better the next day or two and then going back to the normal "him" after that" routine. Who wouldn't get exhausted of that?

However, it has been made clear in the Bible, in Ephesians 4:29, and it tells us to refrain from speaking depraving or exploitative words, and instead speak out helpful words to build a person's character.

In verse 31 it tells us to get rid of bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.

All the above, upon my reflection, contributes to arguments among couples.

If two are angry, no one listens. So in this devotion, I realized that to maintain peace in the family, I should be the FIRST ONE to listen and forgive.

We may talk about this with our husbands eventually so we can have a common understanding on what triggers anger and frustrations in each one to avoid squabbles.

May we be reminded that our husbands are God's precious gift to us, the same way that we are given by the Lord to our husbands as their lifetime gift.

They are our protectors and the one that our children look up to as the "strongest figure" in the family. Let us not degrade them, rather, let us build them up by supporting them.

As much as possible, we do away with nagging and listen to them instead. Remember, we let them understand us by understanding them, too.

Sit down together and talk. Pray together, too.

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Things I learned:
  1. Sharing each other's "daily irritants" would help in identifying the potential reason for a fight. To avoid arguments, it would be better to discuss this with your husband.
  2. I realized that as time went by, I have become "worse" at handling aggravations because I want to prove that I am right and want to emphasize that he is wrong.
  3. Number 2 realization is not really the best thing to do in solving conflicts. That is why I PROMISE to listen and forgive his flaws (calmly) at all times.
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Bless you! ♥️


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