Ephesians 5:28-29 (NKJV) So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church.
Studies have shown an increase in domestic violence during the pandemic, but it has no place in a Christian home. We are to love our spouse as we love ourselves, for nobody will harm themselves but take care of their bodies, and we are to nourish and cherish them through words and action.
Domestic violence comes in different forms. Early warning signs include shouting, throwing things, road rage or wall-punching by those who cannot handle their emotions. Verbal abuse is demeaning others by name-calling and publicly shaming them, whereas mental and emotional abuse includes controlling or pressuring others to perform and disallowing them to express or disagree in a conversation. Financial abuse is not letting a spouse share in the assets, know their income, have a say in how money should be spent, or controlling them by giving them a meagre allowance. Physical abuse includes punching, pushing, slapping, and grabbing. Finally, sexual abuse includes forcing, coercing, or manipulating someone to watch pornography that leads to demeaning sexual acts.
Although lockdowns caused by the pandemic are revealing the good, the bad and the ugly, we should not waste the crisis! If we abide in God, reign in the flesh and walk in the Spirit, we should take time to sit down with our family to work things out and agree on everyone’s roles, responsibilities, and expectations. When we choose to communicate, extend help and grace to one another, we are walking in the Spirit, allowing love, joy, peace, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control to flow, and when we are walking in love and the Spirit, we are prospering in our souls.
For those who may have been too busy working in the past and neglected their children, and are seeing the consequences now such as depression, rebellion, a wayward lifestyle, an addiction, or an illness, all of which are attempts to catch your attention, this lockdown has given you an opportunity to make things right by spending time with them, hearing them out, and choosing to journey with them if they are hurting, even though we need to acknowledge that there is no quick fix, and it will be a process to get them to accept and forgive us, and rebuild the relationship.
Holistic prosperity belongs to us, but we need to work on it especially in the realm of the soul. God has given us the ability to walk in love by abiding in Him and He has given us a new spirit, His nature, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit to do what is required. As we live out the truth in our daily life, we will experience the abundant life.
Sermon Series: Work on Your Well Being
不要浪费危机！
以弗所書 5:28-29丈夫也当照样爱妻子，如同爱自己的身子；爱妻子便是爱自己了。从来没有人恨恶自己的身子，总是保养顾惜，正像基督待教会一样。
研究显示，在疫情期间家庭暴力有所增加，但它在基督徒家庭中是没有立足之地的。我们要像爱自己一样爱我们的配偶，以言语和行动来滋养和珍惜他们，因为没有人会伤害自己，而总是爱惜呵护。
家庭暴力有各种形式。无法控制自己情绪的人，早期的预警信号包括大喊大叫、扔东西、路怒或捶墙。言语虐待是通过辱骂和当众羞辱来贬低他人，而精神和情感虐待，包括控制或强迫他人表现，并且不允许他们在对话中发表意见或表示不同意。财务虐待是不让配偶分享资产、了解家庭的收入情况、对支配财产有发言权、或者通过给他们微薄的津贴来控制他们。身体虐待包括拳打、推搡、掌掴、扒抓等人身伤害行为。最后，性虐待包括强行、胁迫或操纵某人观看色情内容等而引发的贬低性性行为。
尽管疫情所导致的封控暴露了好、坏和丑陋，我们不应该浪费这个危机！如果我们住在神里面，做肉体的主，行在圣灵里，我们应当花时间和家人一起坐下来解决问题，就每个人的角色、责任和期望达成共识。当我们选择彼此交流、给予帮助和恩典时，我们就是在圣灵中行走，让仁爱、喜乐、和平、恩慈、良善、温柔和自律流淌，当我们行走在爱和圣灵中，我们的灵魂就会兴旺。
对于那些过去因工作太忙而忽略了孩子，现在看到了抑郁、叛逆、任性的生活方式、上瘾或疾病等后果的人，所有这些都是为了引起你的注意。疫情封控给了你一个纠正的机会，通过与他们共度时光，倾听他们的心声，并在他们受伤时选择与他们同行，尽管我们需要承认没有一蹴而就的解决办法，我们还是要循序渐进地使他们接受并饶恕我们，以此重建关系。
全方位的兴盛是属于我们的，但我们需要付出努力，尤其是关乎灵魂的领域。通过住在祂里面，神已赐给我们行在爱中的能力，祂已经赐给我们一个新的灵，祂的本性，并赋权圣灵来做需要做的事。当我们在日常生活中活出真理，我们将经历丰盛的生命。
讲章系列：为你的幸福而努力