Moving in The Same Direction
Christopher Brock
June 21, 2024
I was recently scrolling through social media and found myself watching teams engaging in a tug of war. In case you don’t know what that is, it is when two people or teams each hold the opposite end of rope and then pull against each other to see who is stronger. In one of the videos, it showed a demonstration of just how much force each of the teams was able to generate when they pulled. But once the actual competition started, the rope would barely move at all. Even though each of the teams were generating a tremendous amount of force and exerting great effort, they were being cancelled out by each other. The energy was working against each other and as a result, no movement was occurring. As I was watching, it made me think about what can so often happen in a marriage.
My wife and I desire to work together. Whenever we do activities, we always try to ensure that we are on the same page and working towards the same end and goal. Even though this is what we desire, sometimes we find situations in which we aren’t on the same page. We work and make an effort and yet, it seems like little progress is happening. Then, as we keep moving, we start to become frustrated not only with the lack of progress that is being made but also with each other. At the end of the day, if we do not realize this and start to work together, we will end up failing to hit the target that we set out to hit.
What was amazing to think about when I was watching the tug of war video was that, if both teams began to work together and pulled in the same direction, the total force would be doubled! They could move far more than if they were working alone. The same principle once again can be directly applied to marriage. When my wife and I communicate with each other and work to complement each other rather than working against each other, the amount of work that we can accomplish is far greater! God has placed us together to help one another and when we help one another we are always amazed at what the Lord can do through us and within us.
As you think about your marriage today, ask yourself a really simply question: Am I working in harmony with my spouse? We know the way that question should be answered, but the real issue is, are we being honest with our answer? When you really think through the answer to that question, we will likely find areas that need to be corrected. When we find those areas, the first thing we must do is pray and seek the Holy Spirit. Ask Him to help us to learn how to change those areas and work together. Second, we must be willing to change and make an effort to get on the same page. That will require communication together and also humility. Finally, we must be willing to forgive. We all make mistakes and no matter how much we desire to support our spouse; we will make mistakes and so will they. We have to forgive and pick up the rope again and work together.
My prayer is that each marriage can learn to more effectively work together for the glory of the Lord and the name of Christ. May the Lord bless you as you work on your marriage together!