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 Men of Integrity, May/June 2004
Setting Dreams Free
Theme of the Week: How Mutual?
Thursday, May 13
Key Bible Verse: Don't think only of your own good. Think of other Christians and what is best for them (1 Corinthians 10:24). Bonus Reading: Philippians 2:34
"It's all about me," a ministry leader admitted to me and a few others. He was describing his marriage. His words really bothered me because, underneath them, I heard God's voice: "Your life matches this description, too, Jeff. What are you going to do about it?"
Erin wanted to become a nurse and had begun pre-nursing studies before our marriage. The slide began innocently enough. After my job took me out of state, we'd married, and she'd left school behind. Where we lived, our work and friends, our proximity to other family, our parenting responsibilities, our transportation situationhad all become basically about me.
So I sat down with Erin for a let's-make-this-not-about-me-anymore discussion, and invited her to take her dreams off hold. It hasn't proved a burden. Nowfive years laterErin's a registered nurse. It's who she is. And I'm delighted!
Your wife's dream might be about a livelihood, or her special contribution to your marriage, or her unique contribution to the world. But how can a man truly serve his wife if he lets her settle for anything less in life than what's written on her heart to become?
Jeffrey Leever in Colorado
My Response: Am I aware of my wife's dreams? How am I helping her realize them?
Thought to Apply: Married love is hard work, because it requires me to constantly think of my spouse first instead of myself. Bill and Nancie Carmichael (authors)
Copyright © 2004 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.
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May/June 2004, Vol. 7, No. 3
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Prayer for the Week |
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Thank you, God, for granting me a life partner. Help us to realize the oneness You intended for usin spirit as well as in body.
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