Marriage is an awesome thing. It doesn't only offer a lifetime of companionship; it also offers a lifetime of opportunity to grow and develop in character and attitude. This privilege alone should give both husbands and wives something to look forward to – because God will use their marriages to fashion them into the character of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Part of the character moulding process requires so much change and love from both the man and the woman in the marriage. Ephesians 6 tells us that we should "submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything. For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God's word" (verses 21 to 26).
As we do that, we will find that we would be striving to become better spouses. Here are some reasons why you should look forward to becoming a better spouse.
1. You honour God
Following the passage mentioned earlier, doing our best to be the best spouse that we could be honours God who wants all marriages to be upheld. When husbands do their best to love their wives the way Christ loved the church, Jesus is glorified and the Father is obeyed. When the wife submits to her husband just like the church submits to Christ, Jesus is glorified and the Father is obeyed. Think about it.
2. You bless your spouse
Oh yes, your spouse will be blessed and honoured when you strive to be the best spouse you can be. Your spouse wants your love, and when you do your best to improve and grow in Christ-likeness, your spouse will love it.
3. You bless yourself
You don't only honour God and bless your spouse, you also bless yourself. When you grow in character, the first person who will benefit from it is actually you, simply because you receive the primary effects of that change. Everything else follows.
4. You bless your family
When you grow in Christ-likeness, the way you treat your family ultimately changes for the better.
5. You bless others in your circle
The people around you also experience the changes and developments in your character. What blesses your home will also bless those around you.
