Being in a relationship can be a beautiful experience for many reasons, love being at the forefront. There is another component that makes it great when it is put to practice; cooperation. Being on the same page with your partner makes your life so much easier, but it’s not the easiest thing to accomplish. Take a look at a couple you know and see how they communicate and what their body language tells you. Often times when two people are not on the same page they tend to argue about everything or one will resentfully concede to the other to avoid an argument. Neither of those options are healthy in the long run, because at what point does it become too much to bear? Don’t get me wrong, no two people will agree 100% of the time. As great as that would be it is not realistic. Being open and honest with your partner as hard as it may be sometimes is the key. When you both hold the key just watch and see how many doors God will let you open.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” -Ephesians 5:25-

There was so much I didn’t know about relationships growing up, honestly I got most of that education from Television and R&B songs. Definitely not the greatest places to learn about love, FYI. What I learned from my parents marriage was how not to be for the most part. Too much sacrifice from one side not enough from the other and I saw that in so many couples growing up. I would always over hear women talking about how tired they were from work and taking care of kids. Yet rarely made the attempt to tell their husband or boyfriend and the ones that did would have an argument on their hands. From my youth I felt that was just wrong and wanted to do things different, better. Why couldn’t the adults around me see that just talking to each other it would help them combat their issues? It just seemed to me that no one was willing to have uncomfortable conversations for fear of losing what they had already established. As an adult and Christian I now know that Communication and sacrifice are the cornerstone of any great relationship. When I got married I faced similar problems with communication simply because I didn’t want to burden my wife. Taking away her input was unfair because we’re a team and we should act accordingly. There should always be a balance that is maintained to prevent unnecessary strain on one another. If you noticed I used the word partner instead spouse, good. I really wanted to emphasize the fact that God put you together to work as a team. There should be no dictators, no selfish wants, no plans unshared. Jesus shared his Gospel with us then sacrificed his life for us. If you’re not willing to lay it all out there for your forever team mate why be in a relationship at all?

“So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband” -Ephesians 5:33-

I personally know how hard it is to give up some of the things you want. Especially when you’ve always wanted them, but is what you want greater than what you need? Rhetorical question! It is absolutely not. For me, there’s a level of love you have to have for your partner to put your wants aside so the team as a whole can benefit. When I really began to cultivate my relationship with Jesus I finally truly understood what sacrifice meant. Even when it hurts you do it because the love is that strong. This is one of the many lessons I learned from the crucifixion. Praying as a team in this walk with God has become an eye opener for me as well, because we’re at our most vulnerable when we pray. A whole new level of respect is formed when you hear and understand your partners struggles. After hearing my wife’s struggles I asked God to give me the words to comfort her. Then together we can formulate a plan to combat the problems respectfully. If we love our partners the way God intended being on the same page becomes ingrained in us. It won’t be some big difficult task that seems impossible. The love you’ll experience with your husband or wife will be a Godly love and the respect will be amplified beyond measure.

” Do everything in love” -Corinthians 16:14-

God sent his son Jesus to die for us out of love, now that is a kind of love that is hard to come by. We are called to make very small sacrifices in comparison. I strongly believe that those small sacrifices are definitely worth it for partners to be on the same Way/ve.

Thank you for reading this post today, I pray these words find you well and help in some way. I have no words to express my appreciation for you and your time. I simply say thank you. God bless and don’t forget to Chase Your Way/ve.