An Easter Basket to Bless Your Marriage

Spring is busting out all over! Well, maybe not all over, but at least in the grocery story candy aisle. Have you already bought some goodies for your family’s Easter baskets? My family loves the peanut butter and chocolate eggs and, of course, the tiny jelly beans. What about your spouse? Do you ever make a basket for your husband or wife as well as the kids? And if so, do you make your Easter baskets in a way that communicates the true message of Easter - forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with God?

If you are even considering making Easter baskets, I want to tell you about some goodies you can put in your spouse's basket that will not derail a diet and will only bless and enhance your marriage. Are you interested?

To make an Easter basket that will bless you marriage, here are the necessary goodies. First, purchase a bag of the multi-colored plastic egg – you will need a dozen. Begin to brainstorm while driving to work or waiting in the line for carpool at your kid’s school. You’ll want to think of six affirming remarks that would cheer the heart of your spouse. If you can’t think of six, don’t hesitate to ask God for help – since marriage is His creation and God is the ultimate inspiration for marriages that last.

As the words of affirmation begin to come to your mind, jot them on slips of paper, and when you have six, you will be ready to open the plastic eggs and place the notes inside. These words of affirmation will "resurrect" a love that may be lying dormant at this moment.

But that’s not all your spouse needs – you both need what will be written and placed in the last six eggs. I am going to help you with those.

You are going to write six different "proverbs of forgiveness."

(Remember, a proverb is a wise maxim.) Easter is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus. One of the first issues that Jesus addressed after rising from the dead is embodied in the notes inside these six eggs. What’s the issue? Forgiving freely. Forgiving freely is a critical element in loving your spouse; in fact, it is not an option if we want to stay out of divorce court!

Here are the "Forgiveness Proverbs" to place in each of six different plastic eggs.

1. May we remember: To forgive is a heroic choice, and it is not for the weak but the strong.

2. May we remember: Daily to forgive one another for what we do best – be human – which is often messy.

3. May we remember: Being offended is inevitable, but staying offended is a choice.

4. May we remember: If I go to bed angry with my spouse, I will wake up a little less in love with him/her.

5. May we remember: Being a good forgiver and a good lover are inextricably linked.

6. May we remember: Couples who struggle to forgive each other are the norm, but God freely forgave us in Jesus so that we could freely forgive each other.

If you fill up your spouse’s Easter basket with these kinds of goodies, sweet treats of affirmation and six "Forgiveness Proverbs," and feast on them in your heart and mind, your marriage will be blessed long after Easter has passed.

Posted April 7, 2009.

Jackie Kendall, is the author of "Free Yourself to Love: The Liberating Power of Forgiveness" and the bestselling author of "Lady in Waiting: Becoming God's Best While Waiting for Mr. Right," now translated in nine languages, and is a frequent speaker with Pro Athletes Outreach, which works with professional athletes and their wives. She her husband, Ken, are the founders of Power to Grow Ministry, they live in Palm Beach, Fla. For more information, visit www.freeyourselftolove.com.