I can hear the Door County Dublin's Delight Coffee brewing in the kitchen. The aroma hasn't reached me yet, but it will hit my nostrils soon.
Have you ever attended a children's concert and as many of them do, the sound produced from many untrained and yet to develop voices is anything but harmonious. But ,we excuse the poor vocal abilities and hope they get better each year as they mature. Now if you were to take some of those kids who can't carry a tune yet and drop them into the middle of a well oiled melodious choir they would make the Vienna Boys Choir sound terrible.
1 Corinthians 13:4-5 New International Version (NIV)
4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
There just is not any room for bad harmony in a choir. That goes with marriage also. There is no room for actions that are not in harmony within marriage. When two people cannot get along and it happens all the time it boils down to one thing and one thing only. Selfishness.
When two people cannot see the other persons side of anything there is conflict. The more we try to get our own way, the worse we make it and soon the issue has a "Marriage Mishap" Many of these marriage bumps in the road, if left to continue, turn into massive marriage potholes that can derail the car of marriage. The Bible has something to say about being selfish.
Combating the sin of selfish ambition requires genuine humility. Unpretentious humility restores and grows relationships. Being humble involves having a true perspective about ourselves in relation to God. “Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you” Romans 12:3.
Prayer and a love of Scripture are necessary as well. “Turn my heart toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain” (Psalm 119:36. Love covers a multitude of sins, including selfishness. If we are truly “devoted to one another in brotherly love” Romans 12:10 we cannot be selfish. Having the attitude of Christ is to demonstrate tenderness and compassion for all those we come in contact with.
If our desire is to have harmonious marriages and homes we need to take out the spiritual broom and sweep any selfishness in our hearts away.
Food for thought.
Marty
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