Better Work / Life Balance in Marriageಮಾದರಿ

In marriage, becoming “one flesh” means accepting and valuing one another at the deepest levels. Though you are still two distinct individuals, oneness includes looking at your spouse’s wants, needs, and desires as equal to your own in line with Philippians 2:1-5, and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ, as it says in Ephesians 5. The covenant commitment of marriage means putting your marriage relationship above all others.

This means your marriage does not rely only on the vows you took on your wedding day, but requires ongoing intentionality to continue growing into unity. Do this by communicating about priorities, plans, what’s working and what isn’t, etc.

Where do you have any flexibility in your schedule today? Where could you compromise on what can be done by someone else—for the sake of those things that only you can do? Most of the responsibilities we have at work could ultimately be done by someone else, if needed. No one else can be husband to your wife/wife to your husband. That is an irreplaceable role.

Jesus stated in Mark 12 that the most important command is to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.” No aspect of our earthly life is left out of this command. When we steward our heart, mind, soul, and strength toward following Jesus by choosing healthy input in each of these domains, we will be as best equipped as possible to live out the purpose and calling God has on us.

To assume responsibility for more than we can carry is poor stewardship.

When we neglect to maintain our personal health and wellness, we aren't serving others as well as we’re meant to either. For example, when I neglect to end my workday on time and carry work stress and tasks over into dinnertime with my family, then I am less patient and less present with them. When I neglect to prioritize sleep, I have less energy to make good choices and work effectively the next day. God created us for more than constantly dragging from one area of life to another.

Where are you lacking appropriate stewardship? How is that affecting your energy, health, and marriage?

What changes in that area would help? Here are some things to talk about with your spouse:

• Get on the same page with home responsibilities, chores, and tasks.
• Don’t overextend or overcommit.
• Stay on the same page, be flexible, communicate well and often.
• Don’t strive for perfection; rather seek to glorify God together in all you do.

Now that we’ve taken a look at a biblical perspective on work life balance and marriage, I’d like to offer you some highly practical steps to better work life balance. Here’s a resource I highly recommend :

10 Tips for Better Work Life Balance

Grab that printable today to continue working toward balance with your spouse! And be sure to follow Awesome Marriage on Instagram and YouTube for more practical marriage-building tools.