THREE SOURCES OF LIGHT - Help Us Experience Appreciation
Light Source #1: Jesus is the Light of the World (John 8:12)
Walking in the Light: Having a fresh encounter with Jesus.
(Appreciation)
Have you ever experienced a time with The Lord of just pure praise and thankfulness for all He is to you? What words of appreciation did you share with Him during that time? Maybe it was through a song, silent prayer or in seeing His beautiful creation that left you in complete awe of Him!
I personally treasure those special times of worship with The Lord,
but have you ever felt it from HIM towards YOU?
Zephaniah 3:17
Psalms 139
These are just a few of my favorites. They have led me to a place of awe. Though they take me into a place of worship with God, the awe comes from the fact that God feels, knows, loves and cares for me in such a way, as described in scripture, that leaves me almost speechless. He truly loves us friends and He desires you to know and experience His care for you. Would you take a few minutes after reading the scriptures above to bow before our Lord Jesus and ask Him to speak to your heart about how He truly feels about you, especially, as He appreciates who you and what you do? You may hear Him praise you for working so hard, for sacrificing what you want in order to care for your family or friends, for staying true to your spouse or taking care of your children, for serving others in the family of faith, or for being a faithful friend to others outside the faith.
I know this. God appreciates your life sometimes much more than you and I imagine He does. We tend to think we "aren't all that big a deal". On the contrary, as a child of God created in His image, you and I are a huge deal to Jesus.
Ever realized how much Jesus, His disciples, and other writers of the New Testament expressed appreciation for others. The apostle Paul commended many people - usually near the end of his letters in the New Testament and shared his appreciation for what contributions they made to the church and/or to him personally. He was thankful and expressed appreciation. (1 Corinthians 16:5-18 is an example)
Light Source #2: God's Word is a lamp and a light, so walk in the light of frequent experiences of doing His Word. Psalm 119: 105
Let's do:
Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Can you imagine what your marriage would be like if your words to your spouse were spoken to build up instead of tear down? Even in the midst of a disagreement you can still choose your words. You can choose words meant to sting your spouse or you can speak the truth in love but choose soft words meant to build up. You can even choose to use kind words over using the "silent treatment".
Unhealthy Responding:
Spouse 1: "There is never anything to eat around here! What do you do all day? Can't you go shopping once in awhile?"
Spouse 2: "Can't you do the shopping? I'm just as busy as you are! Why don't YOU do something around here once in awhile?"
Healthy Responding:
Spouse 1: "Babe, it looks like you have been busy. I know we need to buy some groceries, may I help with that? Maybe you can make a list and I will do the shopping."
Spouse 2: "You are the sweetest!! Yes, that would be such a huge help! I have been working on this project and haven't had time to go shopping. In fact it actually just slipped my mind. I was so focused on the job. Thank you for offering to do that. It means a lot!"
See the difference? One brings hurtful words and angry moods and the other still works on the issue but in a soft way. In the Healthy example, each spouse communicated care and appreciation for one another. I don't know about you, but I would rather engage in the second discussion over the first!
So, let's find ways to speak "a soft answer", to "speak the truth in love", and engage our spouse in conversation (at least from our side) that "builds up the other" versus tearing down the relationship...with our own hands.
Light Source #3: God's people are sources of light so walk in real fellowship with your spouse: "the light of the world." Matthew 5:14
They have Admin Day, Bosses Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, Customer Appreciation Day...so why not Spouse Appreciation Day? Spouse Appreciation Day should really be everyday but if you are new to this way of treating your spouse or have never singled her/him out for praise, would you pick a day this week to appreciate your spouse on purpose?
You could use your "day" as a date day! How fun would it be for your spouse to have a whole day of you just noticing what he/she does for you and your family everyday, ended with a perfect dinner date with your "main squeeze"? (that'd be your spouse ... in case you needed the interpretation)
We hope you can see by the topics we touched on today that appreciation can change your marriage for the good! We hope you see the tremendous contrast of a marriage filled with "taking it for granted" compared to appreciating your spouse on purpose? Sure this may be new for you and feel a bit awkward but keep your eye on the prize... a happy, content, fulfilled husband/wife that leads to a happy, content, fulfilled marriage!
Don't you want to grow old with your spouse? After the kids leave home and go out to live their own lives, wouldn't it be wonderful to actually like the one next to you? When you show one another appreciation on a daily basis you grow closer and you become best friends. I personally am excited to be crazy about my best friend and spend our golden years full of appreciation for one another. How about you?
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