"Wifely" Sanctification

Before I got married I mentally “knew” what I was entering.  I figured that after reading a dozen books on how to be a Godly helper (aka, wife) or how to have a Christ-centered marriage, not to mention the time spent in prayer and the Word, I would be “prepared”…well as much as I could be right?!  And after all, it was my “dream”…something I had prayed for years on end about and it was finally going to be a reality.  And yet everything I had learned was merely “hypothetical”, and would only be “real” when fleshed out.

September 9, 2011 put us at the two-month mark from the day we said “I do”.  I don’t think I could be any more blessed than I feel and am right now.  I have seen the precious goodness of God truly bless my marriage thus far, and I am so thankful.  Being married to a man who fears and loves God makes it that much more of a blessing.  We have experienced bliss if you would and pray that the “honeymoon” would never fade as we continue to fix our eyes on Christ and to emulate Him toward one another.

BUT…yes, there is a but…I have realized some things about myself in the past two months that, although I knew before, have become so much more visible.  We’ve all heard that marriage is sanctification in full force for the believer, your spouse, if you will, is a mirror that you daily look into.  The flaws of the flesh become that much more real and disheartening.  I knew I was a sinner going into marriage, but the sin I knew I had seemed to be better masked as a single.  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that married people sin more or less than singles, but rather that God uses the gift of marriage as a tool to prune, refine, and shape each individual more and more into the image of Christ.

A struggle I have sought the refining work of the Spirit for throughout my Christian walk has been that of selfishness.  Somehow it seems like a mountain I will never fully tackle, but one I do see growth in by the grace of God.  And yet, it is a daily battle I face.  I am amazed at how often I want to cater to my own flesh, without thinking about how it might affect others around me, especially the one whom I love the most.  I forget so often how much I need to rely on the Lord to help me in this area.  It is a prayer I daily lift up, that God would teach me continually to deny myself and to put on the humility of Christ.

And of course, God in His goodness is answering those prayers DAILY, reminding me of the call I have been given and the character I must possess (in HIS strength).  And God, as He usually does, seems to bring about tests and trials to refine us in our areas of weakness continually.  And recently He did just this, tested my obedience, and the call to deny myself and to serve Him and my husband before myself.   God is doing a work, His grace is lavished upon me daily, and I am more excited than ever to continue to see Him work in and through our marriage for the glory of His name and for the good of both my husband and myself!