The fruits of the spirit are the attributes of any true Christian and a lot of the principles translate directly to Military life. there are those who think they cant be military and strong Christians at the same time I disagree. also I think being military , active or spouse, can be a great way to display your Christianity and be good examples, eventually bringing others to Christ. I am writing this not only for others to read and intact but also because writing helps me think things out. I thought over the next couple of days I would put this together to help me, and perhaps others, act out these fruits in my own life. I hope it inspires self reflection and curiosity in How God's principles can affect your life no matter who you are.
Love: love is the first fruit. Love is what God is all about. Jesus was an example of Gods love for us. and displaying God's love is a great way to invigorate your marriage and all other relationships as well as making you a stand out in a, "hey there is something different about that person" ,way that might eventually, hopefully, bring others to Christ.
1Corinthians: 4-8 " Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts. always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."
This fruit is most readily applicable to military life I believe. When your spouse is scattered from work, or preoccupied, it is easy to resent and be angry. It's easy to blame the military for your separation or keep tabs on your partners mistakes. It's easy to lose hope in ever having an ordinary life. As a spouse of an active duty marine I find it easy to resent, especially, this elusive "downtime" that military personal seem to require to transition from work to home. These things build up and spill out in selfish self-seeking behavior. The question is, since when is the easy way the right way?
I am a believer that EVERYTHING should be done in love. In military life there is separation which is a breeding ground for envy, and distrust. By embracing this biblical principle you can sooth a lot of hurt before it begins. Always look upon your spouse with kindness, trust them to do the right thing. It sounds easy to say "just love" but it is not always so. Especially when one of you does make a mistake. but remember love is no keeper of wrong doing. Love is a verb not a feeling. It is something you have to work to maintain because your spirit wants to be selfish. It wants to think only of itself, which is the opposite of love.
On the outside it is important to love your military family (others in similar situations) too. Helping out when someone spouse is on deployment, reassuring and comforting friends and spouses. Just generally being there for others. YOU are not the only one going through something hard. The military often has confidence boosters that can convince some that because they are part of a certain group or sub group ie...infantry vs. POG or enlisted vs. officer...that they are better than others. The truth is we are all the same we just have different jobs to do. We all miss our spouse when we are apart whether we are separated a year or just a couple of weeks. To be a good example of God's love treat everyone with respect because we are all in the same boat. There are a lot of military spouses that seek to disparage other families or spouses. Don't fall into that trap because gossip isn't a product of love and it bares only ugly fruit.
I know for a fact that some days you wake up less than hopeful, But the more you intact these principles the easier it will be to maintain. Always work to be patient and kind, be hopeful even if you don't feel that way because doing is feeling and the longer you inject these into your life the easier and closer they will seem. Most of all you must act out love whether you feel your spouse deserves it or not, because that is your Job. It's not a question of deserving, it's a question of love. You do these things because you Love: not because of anything the other person is doing, and you do it for the sake of love, not for thrills, praise or even a thank you. These things can be a great example to the outside world that Christ is working in you as well as a good example to your spouse.
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