When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results
are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry,
sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger,
selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and
other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone
living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Gal 5:19-21 NLT
We've all been there at one time or another. Well, most of us have,
anyway. There are times in marriage when the environment could be considered
hostile. Gal 5:19-21 NLT
One
spouse has a bad day and goes off without thinking on the unsuspecting other.
Someone fails to complete a task requested of them, and the marital climate
becomes noticeably more cold.
One
would hope that, with maturity, we would develop and grow into the ability to
communicate effectively without losing control of our emotions. However, there
would be few of us, if any, that could honestly say that we have never blown it
and became hostile in the past.
The
word hostility ("hatred" in the New International Version of the Bible) means
a hostile state,
condition, or attitude;
enmity; antagonism; unfriendliness. -
(Websters)
The original word, used in this passage comes from a root word
meaning to hate passively or actively. Whoa! Wait a minute - some of us could be
in serious trouble here.
Passive hatred could be displayed in our marriage by not
showing love in our attitude. Uh-Oh! So, if we employ the silent treatment,
stiffen in an embrace or if we have a uncaring demeanor towards our spouse - we
are hating them and our matrimonial environment becomes filled with hostility.
Yikes!
Enough of those scenarios, over time, can lead to active hatred
and hostility causing verbal, emotional and physical attacks that can and will
destroy a marriage.
What if we, as couples, actively guarded ourselves against the
temptation to passively hate one another. We would do well to place hostility
and hatred on Marriage's Death Row by renewing our commitment to love each other
in thought, word, attitude and action.
Don't let hostility take root in your marriage. Pray with your
spouse, ask the Lord to help you to grow your marriage - a marriage free from
hatred, passive or active.
Dave
