Family life often calls us to deny ourselves, to put others’ needs above our own.
If we cherish our spouse, however, we’ll work hard to make the denial a season instead of a lifelong sacrifice.
When Donnie and Jaclyn lived in Nashville, they had so little money they depended on food stamps. Jaclyn was pursuing a career in photography, which can take a long time to launch, and she started to feel guilty about not contributing more to the family budget. In fact, it was negative revenue—photographic equipment is expensive.
One of her good friends worked as a waitress at a restaurant, and Jaclyn thought maybe she should start doing that as well.
“No, you’re not doing that,” Donnie said, with uncharacteristic force. “Keep pursuing your photography. One day, it’s going to become lucrative. I just know it.”
Donnie explains his thinking: “I grew up hearing women talk about how they gave up their dreams once they got married, and that’s not what I wanted to have happen with Jaclyn. I didn’t care what her dream was, to be honest. If she wanted to be a stay-at-home mom, if she wanted to get a master’s degree, or if she wanted to pursue a career in photography, I was determined to help make it happen.”
This commitment came at great cost to Donnie. He had to work two jobs to make up for the lack of Jaclyn’s income. He did his regular job during the day, ate dinner with the family, then started his second job in the evening.
When Jaclyn finally got her first “bite” at a commercial photography job, she didn’t have the right equipment and was planning to pass it up, but Donnie went out and spent $2,000 on a camera lens so Jaclyn would have the tools she needed.
“And this was when we really didn’t have $20 to buy groceries.”
Today, Jaclyn does have a lucrative photography business. Billboards all over Houston feature some of her work. In fact, she has a lot of other photographers working for her now. “I pay them to do most of the shooting and I do a lot of the editing now.”
Even more than what this sacrificial attitude did for Donnie and Jaclyn’s bank account, however, is what it did for their marriage. Jaclyn feels cherished. She even told me, “Sometimes I feel guilty that we have it so good.” She feels she will be forever in Donnie’s debt for his commitment to make her dream come true.
But what if, unlike Donnie, you didn’t make such a sacrifice on behalf of your spouse, or such a sacrifice wasn’t possible? What if, looking back, your spouse gave up a favored dream to serve your family? Maybe the husband stayed in a job he hated; maybe the wife took partial instead of full employment or passed up a promotion that required travel.
Here’s where the empty nest (or the kids getting older) gives you another chance. When my friends Dennis and Barbara Rainey had a private marriage retreat shortly after they became empty nesters, they planned to spend time discussing what this season of life meant for Barbara and what it meant for Dennis. They never got to Dennis but instead spent three days planning out the implications for Barbara’s new ministry opportunities.
Dennis is a busy man, the “top shepherd” at Family Life Today, a ministry with a budget in the tens of millions. But this man showed his integrity by agreeing to focus all their time on what his wife could do, discussing the support she would need in this new season of life. Dennis doesn’t just talk about marriage and family; he lives it.
What if the two of you took a similar retreat and you focused on the one who “swallowed” their dreams? In some cases, it could be the husband; in others, perhaps it was the wife. Do your new circumstances give you a little more flexibility to revisit that dream, or perhaps to create a new one?
Would you be willing to sacrifice something now—more time off, a little financial security so close to retirement, an easier schedule—to give your spouse a second chance?
In my book Sacred Marriage, I quote a pastor who offers a very practical application of Ephesians 5:25: “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her…” This pastor suggests that in order for us to comply with Ephesians 5, we should be able to point to something we have sacrificed on behalf of our wives: a hobby has suffered, our bank account has suffered, or maybe a promotion was delayed. We have to ask ourselves, “Am I loving my wife in such a way that it’s costing me something?”
If the answer is “No,” then we’re not loving our wives as Christ loved the church.
What does it mean, men, at this point in our lives, to sacrifice for our wives? Maybe it means retiring a little sooner so we can travel with them. Maybe it means postponing retirement so that our wives can pursue a different career, with more energy, more resources, and a freer schedule.
And wives, what might you be able to sacrifice for your husband? What hobby or avocation or job did he pass over to serve your family? Is there some way you can give him a second chance?
A cherishing marriage is built on honoring our spouse, and that includes honoring their passions, dreams, and goals. Family life sometimes insists that those dreams and goals get delayed, but is it possible now is the time to pick them back up, dust them off, and see if they can be realized?
This blog is not written for women in abusive marriages. The advice offered in these posts will challenge both husbands and wives, but the advice could be counter-productive if it is applied in an abusive relationship.
Emmanuel says
Thanks for this Gary. I am a 6-month old husband, and you’ve given me impetus to sacrifice for my wife.
Jerry says
What if the answer is NOTHING?
What if I totally messed up? What if after 24 years of putting up with misplaced, broken, and crushed dreams, she died first of a bitter and broken heart, and then cancer?
I’ve cried at the realization of my part in her loss, and death, because of my selfishness, neglect, pride, ignorance, busyness, blindness; but all my confessions can not bring her back, nor make things right for all the pain and disappointment she experienced with me. Her Prince Charming turned out to be an immature, self centered, egocentric phony in so many ways, intentionally and unintentionally creating stress, confusion, and even fear, while almost never expressing pleasure in her person, praise for her accomplishments, wonder at her beautiful spirit, but mostly discouraging, disparaging, criticizing words which made her existence a misery.
I failed her. Instead of happiness and joy, there was dread and depression, and eventually it literally took away her life. Truthfully, most of the time,I did not realize what I was doing (and NOT doing), nor what sad effects were happening to her as a result of my misguided and selfish motivations that I had entered marriage with (“What can you do for ME?” and “What’s in this for ME?”).
It seems unfair and even wrong, to plan to “move on” (as if I was innocent of any lack in helping her bloom, flourish, and feel cherished.) But I don’t want to remain in this state of mind and being. So what do I do? How can I possibly change to become the person she desired for me to be, that she needed me to be? How can i forget what pain she endured? How can I hope for starting over and doing it right this time? I don’t want to forget her. I don’t want to replace her. But I don’t want to live alone, and I don’t want to live the rest of my life with these sad regrets.
Brittany says
Hi Jerry. I wish I had some enlightening words of wisdom for you. All I can say is your words touched my heart, and I am praying for you. I would say the first step would be to rest in the Father for comfort and forgiveness. He can truly provide it.
Trish says
My spouse has (and will) fight me every step of the way. Why? Because dreams mean change and he’s terrified of change. I am pursuing my dreams anyway, squeezing my writing in around the FT job, the commute, the finances, the chores. And I’m in the process of finding my beach house to move us to. At some point, the fear of having to take care if himself we outweigh the fear of moving. If God gives you dreams, your spouse’s unwillingness to help isn’t an excuse to say no to God.
Ms. Molly says
Thank you. Those are wise thoughts. It is interesting how God resumes plans when they are in accordance with His will. If waiting or put aside temporarily, it could mean…probably means God is working out details for the “debut” of that dream when in accordance with His will.
Gary Thomas says
So many “prophecies” in the Bible took DECADES to be fulfilled in individuals’ lives. God is faithful, but we can’t rush Him
Rusty says
Wow Gary what an incredible article. I never looked at my sacrificing my dreams was cherishing my wife. My wife has got to do whatever she has wanted to do. She went back to school and got her nursing degree after kids graduated college. That had always been her dream to get her degree. I have worked at a job for 30 yrs that I have not liked very well (hate) but felt blessed because of it. I love helping people achieve their goals and dreams financially and have had licenses to do that for years and have helped a lot of families but only part time. Thanks again for this article
Nancy says
Thanks for this post.