Too often married couples are not sure how to serve their spouses. Serving your spouse is not one-dimensional. There are a variety of options we can take in helping the person we’ve committed our lives to. It would be wise for both husbands and wives to ask this question every day: WHAT CAN I DO TO MAKE LIFE EASIER ON MY SPOUSE TODAY?
If both parties will allow the main focus of their service to be how they can make the other person happy instead of what can the other person do for them then I believe marriages will find splendor in servitude. When we discover the joy of helping our spouse, then we begin to establish or restore emotional health, respect, support, and encouragement in our marriages.
So how does one get started? Let it begin with a fresh examination of the life and teachings of Jesus. No one will deny that Jesus has had the most positive impact on human history compared to anyone else that has ever lived. Yet His approach was not manipulative or self-serving. As a matter of fact, it was the opposite. Jesus Led by SERVING others. During His ministry (service) He healed the sick, fed the hungry, spoke with kindness to the downtrodden, and brought hope to the destitute. Peter summarized Jesus’s ministry with these words, “…He went about doing good…” (Acts 10:38). Perhaps the greatest act of service Jesus demonstrated aside from His sacrificial death on the cross is the washing of his disciples’ dirty nasty feet. With that simple act of service, Jesus personified humility, love, and true leadership.
Husbands: Are you willing to humble yourself to such a degree to serve your wife?
Wives: Are you willing to humbly serve your husband in such a way?
Jesus says, “If I then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you… if you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13:14-17).
If you want to breathe new life into your marriage start serving your spouse. Mow the grass, cook the meals, clean the bathroom, vacuum the floors, make the bed, take care of the kids, and fill up the gas tank. The list could go on and on but the point is, get up off your backside and do something that makes life easier for your spouse. Your marriage will be happier. Your spouse will be happier, you will be happier. Jesus says, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).
I love you,
Alex
Side note: If you are looking for a little marriage help don’t be afraid to ask for it. I am more than willing and able to offer personalized marriage counseling to couples for FREE here at NHCOC.