What can I do on a Saturday morning to put my wife and family back in their proper place in my priorities? Clearly, I am the person that continues to forget. This tends to be the case during weeks full of things that scream for my attention. No excuses, priority is priority! I must not neglect my God, my wife, or my family! So this morning, I decided to listen to the voice of my wife from weeks past... "How about breakfast in bed?" Sure, it was her idea, we regularly and freely communicate each others needs. But I must confess here that I am usually the one who forgets, and as a result have to constantly re-prioritize! It's a weakness that I must work on!
Dr. Larry Crabb in his book Men & Women: Enjoying the Difference, writes that our #1 enemy in marriage is self-centeredness and therefore other-centeredness is the goal! Interestingly enough, Paul says it this way, "In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies" (Ephesians 5:28 NIV), and in Mark 12, Jesus commands us to love other... how? as thyself! So other-centered living, though not a natural way of life in our culture, is what we need to keep in the front of our minds and hearts.