Your weekly guide to the Bible and prayer
Sunday, February 10, 2008
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"Brothers, when is a sacrifice not a sacrifice?" asks John Ensor in his book, Doing Things Right. His answer: "When you gain by it. Sacrificial love always increases personal joy in the long run. It is a self-fulfilling self-sacrifice."
He gives a personal illustration: "My wife came to me some years ago and said she wanted to sell our house and buy another fixer-upper. I was stunned. We had worked for ten years fixing up our home. I was settled, happy, comfortable, and in no mood to pack. She was restless. She had taken this old house and made it special. I was now enjoying it. She was chomping for a new project. I started to say, 'No way,' but somehow it came out, 'Why?'"
"She told me about her interests and desires, and I moaned and fussed and acted like she had just struck me with an arrow. 'I love this house. I could live here another ten years easily.' However, I knew that it was just a matter of when. It was not an ungodly proposal. It would not interfere with what we felt called to do in Boston, and I knew it would make her happy! And I know that I get joy in making her happy."
"Within six months we had bought an old fixer-upper and started all over again. It took us another six years of scraping and painting; we spent one whole year remodeling a bathroom and we had two bathrooms! We did argue about the pace of things, but in the end she had made another warm and lovely home. I sacrificed and got myself a bundle of joy in return."
This week is about why sacrificing in your marriage makes godly sense.
Until next week,
Harry Genet, Men of Integrity managing editor
Your feedback is welcome at Men@ChristianityToday.com.
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In what ways have you put yourself out to demonstrate love to your wife? You …- Went to bat for her when she got the run-around
- Prepared a meal to give her a kitchen break
- Passed up your favorite entertainment for hers
- Provided her with a regular debriefing time
- Completed a major task on her "honey-do" list
- Deferred to her preference on a plan or purchase
- Encouraged her to pursue of long-standing dream
- Took care of the kids to give her a night out
- Allowed her to veto a planned absence
- Assumed your role as family spiritual leader
- Assumed a repetitive chore distasteful to her
- Other
Vote here, and see how your answer compares to others'. |
What about God's absolute control do you find most problematic?- Maintaining holiness when he allows temptation: 30%
- Being unable to figure out his reasons and timing: 19%
- Being unable to foresee how things will turn out: 11%
- Submitting when he sends suffering and trials: 7%
- Accepting that it is ultimately for your good: 7%
- Knowing that he sends bad stuff as well as good: 5%
- Being unable to make sense of world events: 4%
- Obeying when his commands are demanding: 4%
- Being unable to manipulate the outcome: 4%
- Knowing he'll proceed with or without your consent: 2%
- Accepting that nothing happens by chance: 2%
- Realizing that you can't stop or delay his purpose: 1%
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