The most significant threat to marriage in our age is lack of will to die to self.
(Which is the same threat it has faced in every other generation, oddly enough.)
Mark Buchanan points us to the principle of Philippians 2:3-4:
But dying to self is the deep wisdom, ancient and ever new. It is a rule of life basic to the flourishing and longevity of your marriage.
So get this straight: it’s not about you.
Believe that, live that, practice that, and almost everything will fall into place. Doubt that, defy that, ignore that, and prepare for a bleak marriage, if it survives at all.
…
What can you do today to value your spouse above yourself? To put him or her before yourself? To look to their interests, not just your own? This is not an invitation to some false act of self-effacement. It’s not asking you for some gaudy noisy martyrdom. It’s about dying to whatever in you is just plain selfish and vain. And then choosing humility. And then finding simple tangible heartfelt ways to honour the other.
Read the whole post at Mark Buchanan.
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