"Traffic Signs and Your Marriage: ONE WAY"
Do you have ‘one way’ streets where you live? I do. Most of ours are in the downtown area. I think their purpose is to make traffic flow smoother and I think that actually works. If I am on a ‘one way’ street, I have four or six lanes going my way instead of two or three. I get where I am going faster and will less hassle. But sometimes I am in a hurry and the ‘one way’ street that I want to turn on is not going the way I want it to go. So I have to go another block or so and through a couple of extra traffic lights to get to the ‘one way’ street that goes the direction I want to go.
I have often wished that I had a ‘remote’ that I could click and make the ‘one way’ street always go the way I want it to go. Marriage is a ‘one way’ street or it needs to be. ‘One way’ that puts God first. ‘One way’ that is a lifetime commitment to your spouse. “One way’ that is for better or worse, richer or poorer, and in sickness or health until you die. The ‘one way’ marriage street has six lanes and I like that. The goal is always the same but there are a number of good ways to get there.
Our problem comes when we happen to think about other ‘one way’ streets. The one we can far too easily hop over to is called selfishness. It is in direct opposition to our marriage street. It puts us first instead of God. It puts conditions on our commitment. It says we are here if things are better, richer, and healthy. It says we are out of here if things are worse, poor, or sick. It says we are here till things get tough.
The ‘one way’ marriage street can be bumpy and have a few pot holes but it will get us where we want to go. Those other ‘one way’ streets can take us away from from an awesome marriage - sometimes so far away that we never find our way back.
What are the ‘one way’ streets that take your focus off of your marriage? What do you need to do to stay off of them? What do you need to do that will get you on and keep you on the ‘one way’ street that leads to an Awesome Marriage?
Dr. Kim