Summary: We’re all weak. We all fail. Our marriages stand or fall depending on how we respond to our spouses’ shortcomings. So, watch out for unforgiving attitudes. Maybe your spouse has hurt you deeply by unreasonable expectations or an ungodly focus. Or maybe your spouse is unforgiving toward you. No matter. Decide in your heart today to “forgive as the Lord forgave you,” Colossians 3:13. How has He forgiven us? First, sacrificially — by dying for us on the cross. Second, completely — by washing away all our sins. Third, eternally — by remembering our iniquities no more [Hebrews 10:17]. After 60 years of marriage, my wife Pat and I still find that practicing forgiveness is a vital key to our relationship. We’ve had to forgive each other a lot. That doesn’t mean we go around all day long saying, “Forgive me, forgive me.” For us, at least, forgiveness is more an attitude. When I lose my temper, for instance, Pat often tells me by the way she looks and acts that she has forgiven me. Sometimes, of course, I need to actually say: “I realize I’ve hurt you — will you please forgive me?” Now, I want to encourage you to do the same in your own marriage. This is Luis Palau.
