Reading Time: 3 minutes

Today’s topic is very important, And I want you to give it rapt attention, “Don’t let joy wither from your marriage”. I know you are a perfectionist. You like to fix everything and everybody. You don’t like things out of order. You feel the compulsion to fix your spouse. They have to be in a certain way. Eat in a certain way, laugh a certain way, or talk in a certain way. Oga, free yourself! You are not the Holy Ghost. You cannot change anybody so don’t kill yourself trying.

You are sensitive. If things don’t go the way you want, your day or week is spoilt.

It is good to demand high standards from our spouse and children lest we become mediocre. We have to understand that we can only influence people to change.

Most of our frustrations in marriage is because we are trying too hard to fix our spouse. Don’t forget we are only privileged to be married to our spouse. They are as much individuals just as we are. They have their own opinions, view points, ideologies and standards.

Even your babies are individuals and must be treated with respect. We should respect the fact that they are separate entities. How much more should you respect your spouse!

If you become too forcy about trying to have things done your way, first you won’t get the best of your spouse. They will be living under your shadow, not expressing their individuality. Things will be boring around you. You want to force people to be and do exactly like you want?

Learn to be joyful. Be happy. Be someone with gladness all the time. Let your spouse be happy around you. Give room for expression of their individuality.

Don’t let joy wither from your home and marriage. Celebrate your wins. Celebrate small victories as though they are big wins and eventually the big wins will come.

Things dry up because you allow joy to dry up. Finances, testimonies, breakthrough are all a response to our joy.

The meat offering and the drink offering is cut off from the house of the Lord ; the priests, the Lord’s ministers, mourn. The field is wasted, the land mourneth; for the corn is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oil languisheth. Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers, for the wheat and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the fig tree languisheth; the pomegranate tree, the palm tree also, and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field, are withered: because joy is withered away from the sons of men. Joel 1:9 – 12 KJV

Things dry up when we allow joy to dry up. Let nothing steal your joy.

As couples, consciously and intentionally make room for joy. Learn being cheerful. Practise it. It is a command from God.

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Philippians 4:4 KJV

God won’t ask us to do what He knows we can’t do. He asked us to rejoice. It is not a suggestion. It is not based on our situation. The word is the same under favorable and unfavourable situations.

Rejoice in your home. Rejoice in your marriage. Rejoice ever more.

We have to consciously respond to the joy in our spirit. That joy is in us. It is in our recreated human spirit.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22 – 23 KJV

As a wife, the tempo and atmosphere of the marriage and home depends largely on you. So maintain your joy. If the devil cannot steal your joy he can’t have your goods. He can’t have your marriage. Your marriage and home belongs to God.

Whatever you are trusting God for, rejoice, celebrate and be thankful, sing songs of joy.