You Only Live Forever

I often hear spouses in troubled marriages say things like, “You only live once. If I don’t jump ship now, how much time will I have to start all over and enjoy a good marriage.”

The problem, however, is that, if we are in Christ, the premise to the aforementioned logic is skewed at best. In fact, I have a different take on life. That is, because I am going to live forever in Christ, I can actually find the strength and the perspective to do any or all of the following:

I can patiently endure sufferings

Love is painful at times. In fact, I would even take that a little further and say that until we stretch, sacrifice, or even hurt for the cause of a relationship, have we really shown that we are able to love someone in a Biblical fashion? Maybe this is what Jesus meant when he said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

Jesus also said in Matthew 5:46, “. . . if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?” In other words, anyone can be nice when others are nice toward them. However, Christian love moves beyond simply liking those that like us. Christian love is measured by our ability to love even when it hurts our heart to do so.

I can better deal with imperfections around me

Because I have believed on Christ, the best is always yet to come. However, if you feel that this measly 70 years is all there is to life, then you will have to extract absolutely everything you can out of this life in order to have some level of satisfaction in your spirit.

Though I believe in working as hard as I can in my marriage, ministry, and businesses, nothing in this world will compare to the glory in the next. (Romans 8:18) Consequently, at little imperfection here and a little there is not as big of a deal as it would be to someone that only sees life through the lens of time.

I have a different perspective on matters

Have you ever considered the substance of many of your arguments with your spouse? May I ask a question? What are the subject matters of your arguments with your spouse going to matter 1,000,000 years from now if you have believed on Christ?

No further explanation needed.

I do not always have to defend myself

If someone does me wrong in my family, I don’t have to retaliate. God has my back.

I love Romans 8:33. It states:

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.”

Simply put, I don’t have to defend, triangulate, over-explain, et cetera. Truth rises to the surface either now or in eternity, but, rest assured, the God of Heaven will reward rightly.

To learn the importance of God’s glory and His Spirit in a marriage, be sure to check out chapters 1 and 2 of our marriage book, How to Fight for Your Marriage Without Fighting With One Another. Order at our resource page.