Always Forgive Your Wife
Scripture
Ephesians 4:32
“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
Marriage provides many opportunities for forgiveness. There must never be a limit to the number of times you forgive your wife. You must live in an atmosphere of “Of course-I-forgive-you.” Think about all the times your wife has forgiven you for things you have said, done, or failed to do. Someone rightly said, “Marriage is the union of two forgivers.” You don’t want to live in an atmosphere of bitterness, holding grudges, or resentment.In Ephesians 4:32 we see that forgiving is in the present tense; in other words, always be in the forgiving mode. One of the most profound definitions of forgiveness came from one of my seminary professors, Dr. Arch Hart: “Forgiveness is surrendering my right to hurt back someone who has hurt me.” Apply that to your wife. In the flesh, you may have a right to say something back that is hurtful, but with God the rules are different.Yes, your wife will say and do things to hurt you and fail to say and do things she should have done that will hurt you. That is going to happen because we are human. The idea here is, forgive her again and again and again. When you forgive your wife, you are setting a Christlike example for your children. You are modeling for them what their future marriage could be.
HERE ARE 5 WAYS TO HELP YOU IN FORGIVING YOUR WIFE
- Remember, forgiveness is a choice, one that you can always make regardless of the offense. Forgiveness has nothing to do with how you feel. It is a matter of the will. If you wait until you feel like it, you probably will never forgive.
- Give up your right to say or do something that will hurt your wife back for hurting you. Surrender your desire to hurt back to the Lord Jesus Christ. Take it to the cross and nail it there.
- Ask the Holy Spirit, “Is there anything for which I have not forgiven my wife?” If so, choose to forgive her now. He is faithful to point out those areas in which we need to forgive.
- Ask yourself, “Is there anything I have done or not done for which I need to apologize to my wife?” If so, seek her forgiveness. Again, the Holy Spirit will reveal this to you. Respond immediately.
- Realize that although forgiveness is not a feeling, it does feel good to forgive and leave it with God. When you release the heavy weight of unforgiveness, you definitely will experience a wonderful feeling of relief. The release brings relief.
Wingman, there is no one closer to you than your wife. Be a forgiver to her.