Entering Another’s World

attention - Entering Another’s World

[All] the members should have the same care for one another. 1 Corinthians 12:25

Christ’s journey from heaven to a manger in Bethlehem is the model for me (David) in my daily life. He left His world and entered mine. He left the security and sanctity of heaven and entered my chaotic, unfamiliar, sin-filled world.

Giving attention in marriage sometimes sounds just as hard. It often means leaving my safe, secure, familiar world and entering the uncomfortable world of my spouse.

To give attention means doing things with my spouse that she enjoys doing. Giving attention means listening without interrupting so that I can understand her and her world. It means asking about my spouse’s day and really wanting to hear the response. It means cooking a favorite meal or buying a favorite flower. Finally, attention means spending time alone with my spouse. It means giving focused, purposeful effort to spending time just with her. All of these send the message to her that I know and remember “your world.”

My world includes meetings, appointments, conferences, and phone calls. I’m an indoor person who doesn’t like to sweat. In order to meet Teresa’s need for attention, I must leave my world, which often means going outdoors. She loves to go for walks and sit on the porch swing out in the backyard. Teresa loves to watch any kind of animal, so to spend time doing things she likes to do, we can’t be on the living-room couch.

I’ve discovered that as I leave my world, we share a deepened sense of oneness. As I share her world, our friendship grows and there’s an increased fondness in her eyes that I’d never trade for a million meetings.

What specific areas of your spouse’s world can you enter and share with him or her today?