In a world scarred with heartache and pain, the miracle of love lives on.
In this imperfect world, marriage creates a relational space where a man
and woman can still experience paradise within a mutually satisfying,
loving relationship where God is present, the Author of marriage.
What does this “paradise” look like - what are its qualities?
1. Happiness
The
husband and wife are happy and glad to be with each other.
2. Joy
They enjoy each other AND their relationship; they give each other joy.
3. Considerate
Love and respect are demonstrated.
4. Appreciation
They don’t take anything for granted, especially each other.
5. Generous Gratitude
They count their blessings not their burdens and demonstrate appreciation.
6. Friendship
They are best friends - closer to each other than anyone
else.
7. Loyalty
Nothing separates them from each other. Nothing. Loyal to the end.
8. Disagreements
When conflict or disagreements arise, they don’t attack because they care
about each other too much. So they work together to maintain a healthy
relationship that’s filled with joy, happiness and forgiveness.
9. Laughter
They don’t take themselves
or life seriously.
They laugh at themselves.
They laugh things off.
They strive to see the lighter side of life. And they laugh off mistakes -
which helps them to quickly find healthy solutions for their challenges.
10. Hope
Even when life is no laughing matter, they have hope.
They know
that no matter how bad it is, things will get better.
11. Grace and forgiveness
Their home overflows with the beautiful aroma of grace and forgiveness.
12. Love, security, and inspiration.
In this paradise, love is a decision and a feeling that are demonstratedt consistently.
Because love is the foundation and culture of the relationship, the marriage
is secure; fear does not exist here.
And because of this, the relationship is a wellspring of inspiration where each
spouse grows and lives to make the world a better place.
Paradise is hard to find in this
world. But you have the ability to create a
relational paradise with your spouse.
You can have the kind of marriage and home where love deepens and
grows as you live life together.
Savor what you have - appreciate all of the good things about your spouse
and marriage. Please don’t focus on what’s
wrong. Embrace this moment.
Decide to be in love with life and each other.
Make this moment a paradise in time.
Is this possible?
Absolutely. Because Love makes it possible for us to find the perfect person
for us - not someone who is perfect. And that’s the miracle.
Until next week, this is
Mike & Gayle Tucker and we
want you to be mad about marriage!
