IS GIVING UP THE PAST A GOOD IDEA?

IS GIVING UP THE PAST A GOOD IDEA?

JACOB AND ESAU had a lot of baggage between them, a lot of hurt and resentment.  Jacob so feared his brother, in fact, that he essentially bribed him with gifts to buy his own safety.  Digging up the painful past was absolutely the last thing he wanted to do!

While it is true that those of us who have accepted salvation through Jesus have received a new nature (2 Cor.517), the truth is that past sins have left us with scar tissue that affects how we respond to one another.  There are enough challenges in marriage without saying,  “We’re not going to talk about those issues that have shaped our lives.”  You must get into the issues and create some level of understanding.

A marriage has to be built on a love-based commitment: “Perfect love casts out fear” (1John 4:18).  You can’t risk hiding something important from your spouse, thinking, If I share that, she’ll reject me!  When you do that, your relationship is controlled by fear, not love–remember Esau?

When love encounters past mistakes in the loved one, it says, “I embrace you.  I receive you.  I accept you.  I cherish you.  And, yes, I forgive you.”

NOTE:  This article was take from Family Life Marriage Bible by Dennis & Barbara Rainey.

NOTE:  Tomorrow there will be a new post to  assist you in making your marriage a success.