My Husband, My Partner, My Best Friend

Part 5

Kindness in a Marriage

Are you kind to your spouse? How you treat your spouse will have a great impact on the degree of blessedness in your marriage. You can't treat your spouse poorly and expect to have a good, happy, and successful marriage.

The definition of kindness is being affectionate, loving, and show your sympathetic nature. If you are kind to others, you are charitable and compassionate. The opposite of kindness is merciless, harsh, cruel, and unforgiving.

I have married one of the kindest men in the world. He not only has a sympathetic heart, but an empathetic one as well. A sympathetic heart is one who cares and loves to help others in need. An empathetic one is one who not only cares about other people, but also feels their pains and sorrows. My husband is not only kind to me in every ways, but he is also kind to everyone he meets. Let me illustrate with just one recent example:

When one of our friends in China found out my husband has terminal liver cancer, he and his wife came to visit us while we were in China this July. They saw how we were joyous with tremendous peace and not defeated in our spirits, how we still trusted and had faith in God whom we shared openly to whoever have willing ears to hear. They asked us if we could do them a favor. You see, they have a close couple friends who needed encouragement. My husband, without any hesitation, agreed for both of us to pay this couple a visit. This couple had a beautiful and brilliant teenage daughter. She was the apple of their eyes and in every way a shining star both at school and among her friends. She took some of her buddies and went parachuting. Her parachute by some fault didn't open. As a result, she landed to her death. The parents were devastated and all their families and friends tried to comfort them but to no avail for many months. My husband shared his own personal pain and cried with them. He gave them hope by sharing his own faith and trust in someone who cares for all mankind. He showed them how to attain assurance and peace and that their lovely daughter is in a wonderful place, where there is no sorrow or pain forever. As we left their home, we saw the peace and calmness on their faces. We knew again my husband's kindness toward them had produced a kind of love that is higher than any love this world offers. My husband had so much love in his heart to share that he made a difference in that hurting couple's lives.

Are you kind to your spouse? There is a wise saying, "hurting people often hurt other people as a result of their own pain." But you can break that cycle by being kind. You see, kindness is the anecdote to pain. "Overcome evil with good." If you are kind to your spouse, you will find kindness in return. Your return sometimes is more than you can ever think or imagine.