Providing the individual elements of
the blessing without the glue to hold them all together is not enough. That
glue is our active commitment. In fact, this final element of the blessing is
at the heart of "cleaving" in a marriage.
When the Scriptures tell us we are
to "cleave" to our spouse (Genesis 2:24 KJV), the root word in Hebrew
means "to cling, to be firmly attached." It takes a firm decision to
be committed to blessing your spouse, a decision that will not remain intact if
you don't make room for your mate's fallibility.
What every man or woman owes his or
her spouse is the willingness to stay committed, even if the other person
fumbles the ball. Amy did this, and it was the very thing her husband credits
with saving his life.
Grant owned a manufacturing business
that had done quite well. His business was small, but it found its niche in the
marketplace and was growing by leaps and bounds. Borrowing against the property
and expecting his profits to continue, Grant took out a large loan to expand
the facilities. No sooner had construction begun on his new plant than a
multinational manufacturer decided to go into competition with Grant's product.
With cash flow tight because of the
huge interest payments on the loan, Grant did not have the resources to put
more salesmen on the street. Neither could Grant lower the price on his product
because of the profit margin needed to keep the business afloat.
In less than a year, Grant had gone
from riches to rags. His competitor had undercut his prices drastically to get
into the marketplace, and it drove Grant out of business. Saddled with unpaid
employees, lawsuits from suppliers and with the bank breathing down his neck,
Grant had to shut down his plant and liquidate his equipment at a fraction of
its actual worth. He even lost his home that had been collateral for the note
and had to move into a small apartment. Perhaps the crowning blow came when he
had to explain to his children at midyear that they would have to change from
the private school they loved to public school.
Grant was not a believer at the time
of his business's collapse, and he was devastated as he had never been before.
He even contemplated suicide, but one thing held him back:
I didn't know the Lord at the time
my business went under, and my whole word seemed to end. I would like to say it
was the thought of my children that kept me from ending it all, but that
wouldn't be true.
The one thing that kept me from it
was Amy and the way she constantly believed in me and blessed me with her love.
Listening to her pray for me at night and having her hold me and let me cry
were what pulled me through. I tell everybody she saved my life "twice."
The first time was when the business failed; the second was when she led me to
Jesus Christ!
Grant could no longer provide for
his wife and family "in the manner to which they had become
accustomed." Yet because of this loving wife, who based her blessing for
her husband on active commitment instead of material possessions, their
relationship remained strong and secure.
Every husband and wife will drop the
ball and prove themselves fallible time and time again. If we are to be people
of blessing, our commitment will rest on our decision to love our spouse
"in spite of." Our love must be the kind of love that motivated our
heavenly Father to bless us with His Son, in spite of the fact we didn't
deserve it and because He knew we needed that blessing so much in our lives.
The blessing can make a tremendous
difference in marriage, but it takes work to pull these principles off the page
and apply them with our spouse. Even so, we know you won't regret a minute of
time you spend cultivating each of the elements in your home, especially when
you see the harvest of love and happiness that can result.
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