Loving Jesus When Your Spouse Does Not

As we get into the second half of July our focus at Awesome Marriage turns to the topic of being “unequally yoked.”  Simply, this is a relationship where one spouse is a follower of Christ and the other spouse is not.  If you look at the picture of two oxen in Biblical times, it gives us a good frame of reference.  Visualize a wooden bar that joins two oxen together and to the cart they pull. That is called a yoke.  If both oxen are equal is size and strength, the job gets done.  If one is much stronger or bigger that the other, they become unequally yoked.  They cannot pull the cart and they find themselves working against each other, often going in circles.  

Taking it back to marriage, the same imbalance takes place when one is a Christian and the other is not.  The question of the Christian spouse then is, “What do I do?”   

Here are some ideas that will help you:

• Pray for your spouse to come to Jesus. Don’t give up on what God can do. He loves your spouse more than you do!

• Don’t pressure your spouse. I have never seen that approach work. Being patient is not easy but really the only way that will work.

• If you find yourself resenting your spouse, forgive them. This opens your heart to God’s leading and allows you to be an example as you live out each day.

 Remember it is God’s job to change your spouse’s heart. It’s your job to love them, to be the spouse God created you to be, and to live in obedience to Him and to His Word.