Olonitola Olatokunbo
Love and Sacrifice
I asked someone recently, what has he learnt in all the years he’s been married? And he said ‘sacrifice’ …. Marriage to him is about sacrifice. I couldn’t agree more.
Sacrifice! One word, yet so profound. Remember you sacrificed your name for another woman to bear and as a woman, you sacrificed your father’s name to bear another man’s… as trivial as that may look, it begins and sums up what marriage is all supposed to be ‘Dying to SELF’
I’ve not been married for so long and I’m definitely not an expert in it; but I’ve been learning a lot from those who I can say have been successful in their marriages. The word that kept coming up in all the books I’ve read and teachings I listened to is ‘dying to self’.
What is love without sacrifice anyway? At some point, you have to let go of somethings, not because they are not good, but for the sake and good of the other people involved. That’s sacrifice. You can give without love, but there is no love without sacrificial giving. Perfect love comes with sacrifice.
Here are five practical things to get you started on the journey of love and sacrifice
- Your spouse is not your opponent or your competitor; you are not in a competition with your spouse; you are partners therefore it shouldn’t matter who gets the job done. The most important thing is that the job gets done.
- When in an argument with your spouse, remember it is not who wins the argument that matters but what is truly best for everyone involved.
- It is no longer ‘my’ money but ‘our’ money. When God made them one, he blesses them as one; through either of the couple. So no matter whom he chooses to bless per time, it is for the family. It shouldn’t matter who earn more, what matter is the proper dissemination and management of the funds.
- Behind every successful Man is His wife, and behind every successful woman is her husband. Hence your spouse successes are yours too… celebrate each other success.
- Let your love be genuine and not in response to actions. Take joy in doing the right things because they are right and not as a payoff, or pay back for what your spouse did or did not do.
Remember when we die to self; that is only when we truly begin to live.
Keep winning!
