What greater love is there than to love someone else’s life, to value it more highly than your own? Death, the ultimate sacrifice. Giving up your life for the service of Queen and country.
This is the message of the Christian celebration of Easter. More than just a “celebration”, it is the pivotal point of Christianity; without it we would have nothing. Jesus Christ, God incarnate, expressed his love for humankind by facing death and absorbing the wrath of God on our behalf thus making friendship with God possible.
Without detracting from the wonder and enormity of Easter, I was drawn to the parallels in marriage. After all, the Bible describes marriage as an illustration of the relationship between Jesus Christ and the Christian church.
Jesus Christ once said “Greater love has no one than this; to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” This was ultimately expressed in the Easter story, but each day we also have the opportunity to express it in our marriages. Each time we lay aside our own desires, our own wants and hopes, we put aside our own life for the benefit of our spouse. This is love in action. But how far am I prepared to go? At what point do I say, “thus far and no further”?
“Would you die for her or rather raise the dead?” – Delirious?
Are there times in my marriage where I insist on my own agenda or preferences to the detriment of my relationship with my spouse? What if I were to sacrifice my comfort and enjoyment in order to give my spouse the things that they want most? Would I have a happier and more fulfilling marriage?
