“Joshua Renewing the Covenant with Israel”
6 Be strong and courageous; don’t be terrified or afraid of them. For it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not leave you or forsake you.”
What if God gave up on you? Think about what that would mean for a moment. So, is it any surprise that God expects complete and total commitment from us as well?
We have a physical model of commitment and relationship that is as close as it gets on the human plane to what our commitment to our God should be. That model is the family, and at the heart of the family is marriage.
I came across a Helium Network article on “The reward of not giving up on your spouse“. It is written from a secular perspective, but it does not skirt the fact that marriage requires sacrifice and a lessening of self to make the relationship work. It also does not skirt the fact that “A strong marriage is one in which each spouse is truly committed to the happiness of the other and is committed to doing what is necessary to make it happen.”
Another point is that marriage requires hope “that consistently thinks the best in the other person.”
This reminds me of a familiar passage in the Bible where Paul instructs a congregation to strive to think well of others.
8 Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable–if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise–dwell on these things.
Perhaps the most important portion of the article, though, is:
The commitment to never giving up on the other involves taking a long-term view that may or may not seem beneficial in the short-term. By casting one’s view to what can happen and to what is possible, the current situation is put into its proper prospective. Many great accomplishments in life can only be attained by continuing to focus on the end goal and not becoming caught up in the day to day issues that will inevitably arise. If the possibility of giving up is always on the table then the temptation to give up will inevitably become so great that one spouse will give in and end the relationship prematurely.
So, while it may be written from a secular viewpoint, the entire article “The reward of not giving up on your spouse” is worth a read!