Judge me if you like, but I am human, have made mistakes and will make many more. The one mistake which will never happen again is to think the grass is greener in regards to anything.
I cheated on my first wife thinking this other young cute thing that wanted my attention would not impact my family life. Yeah right. In fact, because of my stupid self-centered behavior, my marriage was over in less than 5 years. I lost my young bride, my son who carries my name and a beautiful daughter. All because I thought this cute little thing was prettier than my bride. Some much for greener grass.
There is a book which shares this theme I am talking about titled “Avoiding the Greener Grass Syndrome” by Nancy Anderson. Nancy wrote the book to help keep her painful story of infidelity from “becoming someone else’s story.”
In her book, Nancy offers six action suggestions on how to build “HEDGES” to protect your marriage and to help make “a good marriage great”: I’d like to share them with you.
Hear – give a listening ear to your spouse.
Encourage – build up your spouse by focusing on positive qualities.
Date – celebrate your marriage by playing and laughing together.
Guard – establish safeguards by setting clear boundaries.
Educate – study your mate to truly understand him or her.
Satisfy – meet each other’s needs.
The grass on the other side of the fence may look greener, but faithfulness to God and commitment to your spouse alone bring peace of mind and satisfaction. When you avoid the greener-grass syndrome by loving and respecting your spouse, your marriage will be a picture of Christ and His church to those around you (Ephesians 5:31-32).
When you look at someone else’s life, thinking that it’s better than your own, just remember what God’s given you, was designed for you alone. Jesus Christ is the only third party in a marriage who can make it work.
See you next Sunday.
MJ