How much is a baseball worth? What value would you place on a $10 sports ball? While an average baseball may only be worth $10, some place a huge value on certain sport balls because of their uniqueness. There is something about them that sets them apart from the others. Maybe, because of a signature that is on it, or it was used in a game, they have a special value. Instead of it being worth $10 it may bring hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Well, in 1998, Todd McFarlane paid $3 million for Mark McGwire’s 70th Home Run ball. To some it was only a $10 baseball, but Todd thought differently. He placed great value in it.
The same should be true concerning our spouse. They are a gift from God on whom we should place great value. There is something about them that is different from all the rest. They are something to behold, to treasure. We need to give them a place of honor in our lives. We need to value them in the way we speak to them and the way we speak about them. In my personal life, I will not hang out with people who degrade their wives in their presence nor in their absence. We need to value them by the way we treat them every day. I like something I heard Zig Ziglar say at a conference. He said that every day he did something for Red (his pet name for his bride) that she could do for herself.
One of the main issues married people have is that we stop dating. When we were dating, we would go the mall because she wanted to or maybe eat at a restaurant that we did not like very much, because it was her favorite. She would sit and watch the game on television with you even though she didn’t care for sports. But when we got married, we stop doing those type of things; we stopped dating. Now we tell her we will only spend 30 minutes at the mall and we better come out with something and, of course, it better not be expensive. Then, we go to our favorite restaurant and she can find something on the menu she can eat. She comes into the living room while the game is on, but instead of sitting down and watching for a few minutes, she lets you know she wants to watch something different or at least wants you to turn that noise down. It is important to understand that there should be a Biblical principle at work here. It is simply that we should prefer others before ourselves (Romans 12:10). For me, who better to prefer in my life than the greatest gift, outside of salvation, my bride.
This week is Valentine’s day. It is a day set aside to show the one we love how much we appreciate them. While I believe that the sentiment is good, should we not be doing this all year long? So, go ahead and buy the one you love the flowers and candy. (Just don’t buy her an exercise bike. [This I speak from experience.] – even if she says she wants one!) Below are just a few examples we can do for the love of our life.
A few things we can do for those we love…
- Learn to date again.
- Every day should start and end with me affirming my love for my spouse
- Forgive your spouse. Use Ephesians 4:32 (And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another) as your daily guide (1 Peter 4:8).
- When you mess up say, “I’m sorry.” I know guys, that’s hard, but needed.
- Every day do something for your spouse that they could do for themselves.
- Pray together every day. Studies show that husbands and wives who pray together daily have a divorce rate of less than 3%. One study showed that the odds of divorce where the couple prayed together is 1 in 8,000.
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Mindful of His Ways 