Maybe you always thought the first marriage was a match made in heaven. You thought Adam and Eve were a picture of perfection in paradise. For a time that may have been true. But then, as they disobeyed God, and sin began to infect everyone and everything- something happened.

Adam and Eve had marriage problems. Adam blamed Eve for eating the forbidden fruit. But, when Eve was faced with great temptation, Adam was nowhere to be found. They were selfish, only worrying about themselves in front of God. And as both Adam and Eve listened to voices other than God, their relationship with God and each other suffered.

Our small group last night decided that our marriages suffer from these same challenges today. We’re selfish. We notice all the good stuff we’re doing around the house while taking notes on all the things our spouse isn’t doing. We blame each other for all the things going wrong and the stress we feel. We’re angry that our spouse and family aren’t meeting our expectations. We wonder why they can’t give more, do more, or be more. We’re just like Adam and Eve.

But, the good news is we don’t have to stay that way. Marriage itself is a tool God uses to sever that selfishness. It’s a daily reminder that ultimately, life does NOT revolve around us. We can submit to this process and allow God to rip out all the Adam and Eve in us. Or, we can fight against it, and Him, and each other, and demand that our spouse serve us.

To help this process, I presented our group with a challenge. I gave them a list of ways they could serve their spouse and challenged them to choose 5 to do this week. You can see the list below. I challenge you and your spouse to take this list and try to accomplish 5 this week! If you like fun competition, challenge another couple you know to see which couple can check more off the list within a week. As you serve, have fun and remind yourself daily that life is not about you. 

Can you complete 5 this week? (Feel free to share this with your friends) 

Here are a few PDF’s of this list you can print and cut out:

The Marriage Challenge (PDF)

The Marriage Challenge (Word)

The Marriage Challenge Big (One Big PDF)