The spirit of a person can hold up under all kinds of troubles. Sickness, loss, financial difficulties, interpersonal turmoil, all these things take a toll but for the child of God – who is reconciled with God in Christ Jesus – these troubles shouldn’t be feared. All fear and reverence belong to God, whose judgment is not merely earthly but eternal. (Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell. – Matt 10:28)
Externals cannot reach our heart, our spirit; we get to decide how our heart responds to our circumstances.
Yet we are not perfect and often need help in guarding our heart. If you’re married, you and your spouse have more power than anyone else to aid each other in keeping a strong attitude.
Helper is what God first called Eve. Jesus also referred to the Holy Spirit as a helper. A good and Godly husband will be a help to his wife.
Marriage is much about spouses helping each other, and there may be no more important help than the help of keeping one another encouraged.
A worthy focus for a spouse’s day can be summed up in this daily commitment: Today I will keep my spouse encouraged and out of despair. To have the person closest to give themselves to such a worthy and helpful work, itself, is uplifting; to be lifted by your spouse is one of God’s intended benefits of marriage. Sadly, spouses sometimes do the opposite, contributing to, rather than preventing their discouragement.
It’s super-important work for every spouse because nothing is more important than the condition of one’s heart.
Try it; make today’s goal to keep your spouse encouraged. Do it with your words, your actions and your prayers. Watch the difference in them, in your marriage, in yourself. I promise you’ll find it to be a more than worthy use of your energies.
The human spirit can endure a sick body, but who can bear a broken spirit? Proverbs 18:14