It is another day with two dogs. They seem to be adjusting to one another although they certainly are trying to figure out who is the boss. We really laughed when we saw them in the garden earlier Maci (pronounced Motsie) had a stick in his mouth. Guthix immediately decided to lay claim to the same stick. They both grabbed the stick in their mouths, but they were facing different directions. It was comical to watch them as they ran in circles getting nowhere. When they finally faced the same direction and grabbed the stick again, they were able to make progress. They ran up the garden proudly carrying the stick between them.
Amos 3:3 (NIV) Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?
The Message version puts it like this “Do two people walk hand in hand if they aren’t going to the same place?”
Sometimes as a couple we can be a little like those two dogs. Both have grabbed hold of the stick, but we are running in circles because we haven’t agreed on where we are going. Many couples think that they are in agreement, but really the dominant person in the relationship is the person who has taken the lead, and the other follows reluctantly.
Finding agreement God’s way is a wonderful skill to learn. Until we had learned about seeking agreement in marriage we had used many unhealthy ways to make decisions which often resulted in us blaming each other when things didn’t go as planned. Learning to reach agreement in a Godly way revolutionised our lives.
- Always ask God first. God’s plans are better than our plans
- Repent if you have used manipulation or bullying to force your spouse to go along with your plans.
- Use your ears before you use your mouth. Listen to what God has to say don’t just try and convince your spouse to follow your plans.
- Every time you need to make a decision make prayer your priority.
- Make sure your decision lines up with the Word of God.
- Eliminate selfish desires or the ‘need to win’ mentality.
- Never rush the agreement process. It is better to take longer to decide than to spend many years repenting of a poor decision.
- Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5
