When my wife stopped fighting me about my obsession toward work, as
well as other issues, she unleashed a powerful force in my life,
though neither of us understood it at the time.
Independent of me, Norma learned how to get in line and bring her
needs to God. Rather than complain to me, she prayed, "Lord, thank you
that all I need is you. You know I want a good relationship with Gary
and that I want him to spend more time at home. You also know that I'm
not very strong physically. I'm so tired that I don't feel I can last
much longer under this strain. I'm coming to you with these requests
because I know that if I need Gary at home, you can make it happen. Or
you can take away my desire for him to be home. I'm going to stop
fighting Gary and instead ask you either to change him or to meet my
needs in some other way."
To find God's fulfillment, Norma took steps similar to those I later
discovered. She stopped expecting life from me and started looking to
God. She realized I not only would not, but could not, energize her
life, so she went to the source of life and asked Him to energize her.
The results were startling. I noticed the change almost immediately.
When I came home from work, I sensed a calm spirit in our house.
Norma's face was peaceful, no longer tense. Instead of the usual harsh
words, her conversation was quiet and she was more interested in
asking me how my day had gone that in relating her activities with the
children.
It was in that context that Norma talked to me about her need for
help. A few days later, I couldn't keep from asking what had happened.
"Gary, I got tired of fighting you," she explained calmly. "I realized
that I wasn't trusting God concerning our marriage and family, and so
I decided to stop complaining and start praying. I've told God that I
would like you to spend more time at home, and if I really need that,
I know God will make the necessary changes."
Imagine what that did to me. I was instantly convicted that my
priorities were wrong. And that wasn't all. Because Norma had changed,
I wanted to spend more time at home. That was the week I asked Bill to
change my job so I could spend more time meeting my family's needs.
What Norma did summarizes the conclusion of the first four chapters of
this book. She stopped looking to people, things, and her work, and
turned instead to a trustworthy God who answers the persistent prayers
of His children. God promises life -- and God delivers!
Some may think Norma just disguised her selfishness by asking God to
change me instead of nagging me to change. I disagree. I encourage
wives to ask God for a good relationship with their husbands and
children. That request is not selfish. A good relationship benefits
not only the wife, but the entire family, the Christian community, and
ultimately our nation and the entire world. It also glorifies God,
because a godly marriage is a picture of our relationship with Jesus
Christ (see Ephesians 5:22-25).
Once we're into the habit of seeking fulfillment from the world, we
won't learn overnight to look to God as the source of life. It took
Norma and me several years before looking to the Lord became our
natural, first response, and we still catch ourselves focusing on
someone or something other than God.
(c) Copyright 2002 Smalley Relationship Center
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