Reposting in honor of my grandparent’s anniversary:
Yesterday, while perusing a popular site about managing the home, I noticed the question of the day:
“What about your spouse just drives you crazy?”
As of this morning, there were 189 answers. I got (literally) sick from reading the responses and petty complaints after about 30 or so. Only one was positive: “It makes me crazy in love when he says ‘Hello, Beautiful’ in the morning,” but then she dampened it with a crass and very personal criticism. The majority of the wives (I didn’t notice any replies from men) were irritated that he left his socks on the floor, left cupboard doors open, and didn’t put the cap back on the toothpaste (all things I do wrong, by the way). Occasionally someone was less shallow, such as being upset by his apathy toward the children or his being a poor listener.
I wonder…
Even on the rare occasion when the gripes are legitimate, does sounding off and getting upset solve the problem?
Isn’t life…isn’t marriage challenging enough without an open invitation to share our criticisms?
Is my spouse the one with the problem if he can’t locate the laundry basket, or is it me that has the problem, to let that infuriate me and undermine all the positives about the person I chose to marry? (I’m actually the one that can’t locate the laundry basket, just so you know.)
Because I believe negativity leads to bitterness, and bitterness is poison to marriage or any other relationship, I issue this challenge.
Love your spouse out loud!
Together, let’s counter the negativity with positives of our own. Let’s answer this question instead:
What about your spouse just blesses you like crazy?
Share in the comment section below.
Even if your marriage is at a rocky place or going through a lull, look at it from a new perspective. Find the blessing, the positive, the gift that is your spouse, and add it to the comments below. You may answer as many times as you wish!
Please, friends, keep it real. None of us married Mr. or Mrs. Perfect, so let’s not make others feel their spouses are inferior in comparison to a myth.
Take a moment, if you would, to share this post so that we can outnumber the 189 naysayers and let the mainstream world know that we love our imperfect spouses and are blessed by them. Let’s give marriage the reputation it deserves. I don’t think I’m being overly optimistic to think that we can find more than 189 people willing to love their spouses out loud!
Let the world know that marriage between two imperfect people in an imperfect world still works!
Because it does.
The beautiful photo was taken three years ago at my grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary – as of today, 63 years, two months, and 13 days of two imperfect people in an imperfect marriage, making it work by the grace of God. It’s a beautiful thing.