HOW TO MAKE YOUR
MARRIAGE
SUCCEED
For years I had low self-esteem and I did not like myself . I hated my personality and I hated the way my voice sounded . Somewhere along the line , through the abuse I had endured growing up , I internalized the shame . I was no longer ashamed of what was happening to me — I became ashamed of me . I was hurting and , consequently , was hurting other people . Did you know that if you don ' t like yourself , you are never going to like anybody else , and you won ' t be able to help your spouse like himself or herself ? You will spend all your time trying to prove your own value . Healing first comes by accepting yourself , knowing that where you are today is not where you will end up , and knowing that God is continually perfecting you , too . We all need to accept the unconditional love of God and acknowledge the fact that God doesn ' t love us because of what we do - but because of who we are .
One morning , as I sat in my pajamas praying , the Lord said to me , " Joyce , I really can ' t do anything else in your life until you do what I have told you to do concerning your husband ."
The Lord had been dealing with me because I was having problems being submissive . I had such a strong will and was still caught in my defensive attitude from being abused as a child . I was missing out on the blessings God was eager for me to enjoy .
After praying , I got up and went to take a shower in the new bathroom my husband Dave had just installed off our bedroom . Since he had not yet put up a towel rack , I laid my towel on the toilet seat and started to step into the shower .
Dave saw what I was doing and asked me , " Why did you put your towel there ?"
Right away I could feel my emotions getting stirred up . “ What ' s wrong with putting it there ?" I asked in a sarcastic tone .
As an engineer , Dave answered with typical mathematical logic . " Well , since we don ' t have a floor mat yet , if you put your towel in front of the shower door , when you get out you won ' t drip water on the carpet while reaching for it ."
" Well , what difference would it make if I did get a little water on the carpet ?" I asked in a huff .
Sensing the mood I was in , Dave just gave up , shrugged his shoulders , and went on his way .
As it turned out , I did what Dave had suggested , but I did it by angrily slamming the towel onto the floor . I did the
The BrighterLife Magazine | Page 18