This is a continuation of my last post on appreciation over comparison.⠀
My wise hubby recently said as we were discussing the topic, “When we compare, we elevate ourself; when we appreciate, we elevate our spouse.”
Wow. I never thought of it that way.⠀
Steve Moakler sings in his song Riser, “Imma get down low so I can lift you higher.”⠀
Paul writes in his letter to the Philippians, “in humility consider others better than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3).⠀
What if we not only elevated our spouse above ourselves in our minds, but we also got down a little lower to raise them a little higher?
What if as wives we didn’t consider ourselves too high for menial household tasks and instead considered them holy work?⠀
What if we joyfully served our husband and our children as we put their needs up high?⠀
I am not saying to not take care of ourselves. When we take care of ourselves we are, by default, taking care of those we love. Because when we are first filled up, we can then be better poured out in love and service. I’m simply asking us to ponder what it would be like—what our marriages, families and homes would be like—if we just shifted our perspective a little bit and elevated those around us?
What if I got down low so I could lift Clay higher? And what if he did the same for me?⠀
We’d have a marriage that was so uplifting!
What if, in humility, I considered Clay better than myself? And what if he did the same in his view of me?⠀
We’d have a marriage that was so serving!
What if today, instead of comparing, we appreciated? What if instead of elevating ourselves, we elevated our spouses?⠀
Well, then I think our marriages and our families and our homes would be a place of such deep and rich life, joy, and presence of the Holy Spirit. And I’m sure we could all use some more of that!
What are some ways you elevate your spouse or those you love? Comment below! I’d love to hear!⠀
I have a LONG way to go in this work, but you can see some ways I elevate Clay in my mind on my last post—by simply recognizing and appreciating that which he contributes!
