Next, lighten up. Don’t cling so hard to your own preferences that you drive your spouse away. So, he didn’t take out the trash when you wanted him to. So she didn’t replace the toilet paper roll. Let it go. Give grace. Let your love cover whatever was left undone and quietly replace the roll yourself. Take the trash to the curb without a word of complaint. Ask God to help you stop being so rigid and cold in your insistence that things be exactly the way you want them to be.
In both ways we communicate love and care. In both ways we show our loved ones that no mere inconvenience, no small irritation is enough to separate us. After all, if we aren’t willing to care for our spouse in all the small ways, what would ever make them believe we will be trustworthy when the health crisis or the pink slip arrives?
In the end, a marriage is really built on the little things. We should ask ourselves these questions to start creating a more loving, life-giving marriage today: What preferences has my spouse communicated? What can I do differently today that will show my spouse that I care? Which of my own preferences will I lay aside for the sake of my spouse and our happiness? How will I show Jesus to those who are watching my marriage?
I’m convinced this is a path to more fulfilling marriages that show the world what Christ’s love looks like. Husbands and wives, let’s love each other well with the little things. We can say all sorts of pretty things and make declarations of love, but our words are empty without actions, however small, that show we truly mean what we say. We can lay down our lives in this way for love, for Christ, for the kingdom.
This article originally appeared here and is used by permission.
