Humble

The apostle Paul highlights the importance of humility in the body of Christ, principles that can certainly apply to the marriage relationship. Philippians 2 states:
3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.
4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.

He goes on to elaborate on how Jesus humbled Himself, even to the point of death on the cross. And, in Ephesians 5, Paul likens the marriage relationship to that between Christ and His church.  He humbled Himself and we are called to humble ourselves before Him - mutual humility.  That can be operational in our homes, as well - we can find God's love and power at work as we are willing to view our spouse as the Lord does, and serve one another according to His will.

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In Colossians 3, the apostle Paul addresses the proper, Biblical attitude in whatever we undertake:
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

Then, he goes on to apply this principle to our marriages:
18 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as is fitting in the Lord.
19 Husbands, love your wives and do not be bitter toward them.

We read early in the Bible, in the second chapter of Genesis, that God ordained the institution of marriage. Even though there are counterfeits and harmful substitutes, His definition has remained clear and marriage has been a necessary, beneficial building block for societies for thousands of years. Not only is the institution strong, but the potential for married couples to survive the challenges they face is also strong.

Witness the marriage journey of Tabitha Brown and her husband, Chance. A Christian Post article related:

The couple has been married for over 20 years. Brown said when they first moved to LA to allow her to pursue a career in show business, neither of them had a job. Once Chance became a police officer, he assured his wife that she would never have to worry about pursuing her dreams.

The article says that Chance told Tabitha, ‘We wouldn’t have to worry about one income being shaky. You would always be able to pursue your dream without having to have a real steady career outside of acting..."  In a recent video on YouTube, Tabitha announced that Chance had retired from the LAPD. In fact, her motivation to be successful in the acting field was so that her husband could retire, and after 15 years, that became reality.

This drew criticism from talk show host Wendy Williams, who said on her show: "Nope. I was married to one of those. I make the money and so and so forth. Go live your dreams, buy a business, stay with me but go, go, go. See how that turned out. I predict that this marriage is going to be on real rocky ground in a moment...Then they invest in stuff and lose the money. Then they invest in something else and the money gets swindled or stolen.”

Brown, who has 3.7 million social media followers, took the opportunity to respond to Williams:

“Wendy, the pain you must be in to feel this way, honey, I’m so sorry,” she said in a YouTube video. "But listen, let me tell you this: 23 years I’ve been with my husband, broke for a very long time, together. Struggled for a very long time, together. Succeeded for the last couple of years, together."

And, she attributed the longevity of their marriage to the Lord, saying: "God has blessed me. … I’ve been praying on this for a very long time and it has now come to pass. That is the power of God. It’s also the power of allowing God to be first in your marriage. That’s how it remains successful, we keep Him first. He is first in our marriage. Not money, not business, not success, but God. He’s first.” 

Then, in a remarkable display of grace, Tabitha related this to Wendy Williams: “I pray that someone will love you enough to see you when you are not well. To see when you need true support. To see you when you need compassion. To see you when you need kindness," adding, "I pray that somebody loves you enough to sacrifice their life for you. I pray that type of love finds you so that you can understand why I don’t want my husband to put his life on the line anymore, wearing a bulletproof vest if he don’t have to, and if it’s not his desire."

That's a commitment to a Biblical marriage, a marriage that lasts.  In a day where instant gratification is the norm and there is a distinct lack of willingness to work hard for things that count, this is a refreshing soliloquy.  We have to be willing to "do the work," as it's been said, in the area of marriage, especially when there are challenges. 

In that framework, we are called to put our spouse's needs above our own.  It's called humility.  If a husband and wife love each other deeply - and I am thankful that Beth and I do - we have the power in order to sustain and grow in what God has called us to be.