"And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with God." Micah 6:8
This prophetic passage provides three areas of advice for living out any vocation. Belinda and I often use this advice to guide us in the way we live out our call as a married couple.
To act justly — we live our marriage according to the golden rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." This doesn’t mean I treat Belinda according to how she is treating me. To act justly, I don’t measure or try to balance how she has treated me when I decide how I will treat her. Acting justly means I’m always trying to treat Belinda the way I would want to be treated myself.
To love mercy — we’re ready and willing to forgive each other, for all our hurts, big and small. Just as God has forgiven us, we’re willing to forgive each other, because we love each other. I don’t forgive Belinda based on whether or not I think she deserves it. Loving mercy means I’m always ready to forgive Belinda because I love her, and because I know that forgiveness and healing are an essential part of every successful marriage.
To walk humbly with God — Belinda and I remember that we are nothing without God. All we are and all we have are gifts from God. We know that the love we share is possible only because God first loved us. We realize that God’s love is the source of all the love we share with one another. Walking humbly with God means understanding that the love God gives us is the same love we share with our children, our family and friends, and all those we encounter in our life in Christ.
