In the Ring: MinsteRING, CoveRING, BeaRING, SuffeRING

I remember that there was a time in which I was naive to think that since my girlfriend and I were getting along so well, a continual long relationship (aka marriage) was going to be easy. We could talk, share, and spend time with each other and things were great. This wasn't even the first few months, several months later it was like that. However, was I wrong.

After falling off of "Cloud 9" reality set in. My love for her had not changed, but the reality that things were not "easy," at least as much as I determined, was a wake up call.

I knew we were "different" people - being male and female. However, I thought things would be as easy as they started out being. We weren't young when we started dating (in college), so I was not talking from a fourteen or eighteen year old perspective.

Understanding all this, once I became "in the 'ring'" I found out that being married was work on my part. I know there were responsibilities outside of doing dishes, paying bills, and other general responsibilities. But outside of that I realized I had a lot to do to be a "good husband" on a deeper basis.

This brings us to what we discussed Sunday as we continued with our "In the 'Ring'" sermon series. Here are some applications to choose from to use...

• MinisteRING ~ Both the husband and the wife have needs. I will HIGHLY suggest the book "Love and Respect" by Emerson Eggerichs. I have read "The 5 Love Languages" and "His Needs, Her Needs" and "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" and this book is better than all of those. So if you've read those, please read the book I suggested. I enjoyed it as a male and it made so much sense to me regarding my wife's needs and how she operated.
• CoveRING ~ Take time to pray for your partner. We're all vulnerable. Women are vulnerable to not feeling beautiful enough and fears. Men are vulnerable to immodest dressing and being valued. These are just a couple of examples. Ask your partner what they are vulnerable to and then pray for those areas - and pray often.
• BeaRING ~ Being able to understand no one is perfect is important. Most of us know this on one side of the argument, but some of us tend to jump to conclusions about their partner on occasion. These types of occasions might be when someone says something and we mistake their tone for being what it was not intended to come across.
• SuffeRING ~ The closer we get, the more likely we are going to bother one another. In the marriage relationship, when we love and trust one another, it doesn't take much for someone to feel unloved or disrespected. These types of mistakes do not mean to quit the relationship. There are very few reasons to do so. Suffer through and communicate in order to help grow the relationship.

As Valentines 2012 is tomorrow, may you be able to express your love for one another in an awesome way! Have a great day of "love!"

Now it's your turn...what has been a great benefit to your marriage? A book, seminar, another individual or couple, etc.????