DON’T EXPECT EVERYTHING IN YOUR MARRIAGE TO BE PERFECT

I, Jesus…[AM] the bright morning star. Revelation 22:16.... “Once upon a time, they lived happily ever after.” There it is- the world’s shortest fairy tale. A bit lacking in detail, but it kind of captures the essence of all fairy tales, doesn’t it? The dreamy, romantic quality, the perfect, blissful ending- just right for bedtime storybooks, but as it turns out, not such a good model for marriages! You and your spouse have to live out your “ever after” in the real world, where things don’t always go so smoothly. That’s ok, as long as your expectations are in line with reality. The problem is, many of us cling to fairy-tale notion about married life, expect our partners to live up to them, and experience bitter disappointment and resentment when, despite all our wishing on stars, our dreams don’t exactly come true. So far the sake of our marriages, it’s time to say goodbye to never-never land. It’s time to embrace life as it really is and grapple with its challenges. It’s time to see our spouses as they really are, and not complain when the slipper falls off. But must we give up all our dreams? For believers, the answer is no. We simply look toward heaven and place our faith, our hope for eternal joy, in something more powerful than a wish.