As a father and husband, most of my choices aren’t between right and wrong. I don’t struggle most of the time with choices that I know are going to hurt my kids or my wife. The temptation that I face most of the time are between choices that are easy verses those that are right. Easy often looks so good. But it’s the right choices that grow my marriage and my relationship with my kids.
It’s easy to go to bed mad
It’s easy to say I told you so
It’s easy to not say I’m sorry
It’s easy to take your spouse for granted
It’s easy to avoid conflict
It’s easy to see your spouse as the enemy
It’s easy to be inconsiderate
It’s easy to make a promise and not keep it
It’s easy to not confess struggles
It’s easy to give left-overs
It’s easy to hold a grudge
It’s easy to withhold truth
It’s easy to check out and not engage
It’s easy to forget priorities
None of these things in and of themselves will ruin my marriage or my relationship with my kids. But they will always prevent me from having the type of relationships I truly desire.
Today, my prayer is that God would prompt me to choose what is right over what is easy. There are no shortcuts to a great marriage.