Challenges of Marriage

Marriage – even the best marriages have challenges. When you take two people with different family backgrounds and experiences you are bound to have at least some conflict. I appreciate when people are real about their struggles because it helps the rest of us feel normal. When you look around the church and see all the happy, smiling people you could believe that they have no idea what it means to have a “discussion” about finances or about the best way to discipline the kids. We all walk through similar circumstances and can help each other by being honest about our struggles and successes. Sharing our testimony of God’s work in our lives could be the turning point or at least a slice of hope for another.



Someone close to me is in the process of going through a divorce and it breaks my heart to see this young family torn apart. One spouse sent me some information about marriage intensives and desires to save the marriage and family. They have young children the age of my children and it hurts to know that they are dealing with the pain of separation from one of their parents and that divorce is looming in the future. The problems the spouses are dealing with are definitely bigger than me and bigger than both of them. It appears that only one party is willing to attempt counseling, but God is bigger. Another hurdle is that marriage intensives and counseling in general are quite costly. HE can work a miracle in this situation that seems impossible. Please join me in praying for a miracle for this young, hurting family.

Is Your Marriage Fireproof?

Today I read in a Family Christian Store catalog that Fireproof the DVD is coming soon on January 27, 2009 and if you pre-order you will receive a $43.98 value for $19.99. The package includes the Fireproof movie DVD, the movie soundtrack, and a Love and Respect DVD seminar. This could be a useful resource for couples, small groups or churches. Marriage is challenging and we can all benefit from resources to help us along the way. For more info go here. This offer is valid online and in stores while supplies last or until January 27th. If you haven't heard about the Fireproof movie check here.

Fireproof the Movie Opened Today

I haven't seen it yet, but Fireproof opened in theaters today. Sounds like an excellent movie. For more info go here.

Marriage

My dad walking me down the aisle.

What is marriage? Why do we marry? Why do so few Christian marriages go the distance? How is your marriage different? What advice to you have to share with those who are considering marriage or those in any phase of marriage?

Marriage according to Mirriam Webster's first definition is: 1 a (1): the state of being united to a person of the opposite sex as husband or wife in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law.

I remember when I was in graduate school, my Sunday School teacher, mentor and friend, Carolee Loar challenged our class of young singles to consider what marriage was and write out our definitions. I took the assignment seriously and wrote a great deal. I spend a long time this evening looking in vain for that piece of paper that I kept somewhere safe... Maybe someday I will find it...

Marriage was a frightening prospect for me back then because I was terrified of failure. I had seen too many marriages end badly and wanted to avoid that for myself even if it meant never marrying, but at the same time I wanted to be married so much. I wanted to be loved and to be special to someone. I spent a lot of time praying about marriage and for a possible future spouse and for several young men I hoped would fill that role at various times.























Next month Rick and I will celebrate our eleventh anniversary. We married on the 50th anniversary of my grandparents.

I've read some challenging books about marriage in the last year by Gary Thomas and I highly recommend them to anyone who is married or considering marriage. Sacred Marriage and Sacred Influence are both powerful books that have the potential to change the way we think about marriage. For more info check out my Reading Room Blog - do a search with Gary Thomas' name or the titles of the books mentioned. Consider this quote, Gary shares this quote in Sacred Marriage, "If we view the marriage relationship as an opportunity to excel in love, it doesn’t matter how difficult the person is whom we are called to love; it doesn’t matter even whether that love is ever returned. We can still excel at love. We can still say, “Like it or not, I’m going to love you like nobody ever has.”

Randy Alcorn, a favorite author of mine, shared some of his thoughts about marriage on his blog because an assistant of his married this weekend. Check out his post here.

Let's all spend some time praying for our marriages and the marriages of those who are dear to us. Marriage can be wonderful, yet it can be the most challenging thing we'll ever experience. Storm heaven on the behalf of marriages everywhere!

Looking for Love

March 26, 2007
Our family was leaving the gym and one of my husband's friends said something to us. My daughter (7) blushed and whispered to me that daddy's friend was cute and she wished she could marry him (not a chance thinks this mama he's in his late 30's or early 40's). Then we got in the car and my son says (with a straight face), "I'm never going to find a wife!" I was puzzled since he just turned 4. Has he been searching already??? I told him that I'd help him find a good wife. After a little while, my son asked, "How did Daddy get to be so lucky to find you for a wife?" That's my boy!

Yesterday (3-16-08) while I was making dinner, the kids were playing quietly...(every mother knows what that means)...

I'm sure you've heard of Superman, Batman and Spiderman, but there is a new Superhero in town...

My son (now 5) introduced me to Superloveman. Yes, I just typed what you read. My daughter (recently turned 8) drew a big heart on her brother's chest with a black pen and wrote LOVE in a all caps. The little guy made himself a cape out of a little blanket and went flying through the kitchen shirtless (so you could see his emblem I'm sure) to rescue the beautiful princess, his sister.

Oh my... this was while I was making dinner tonight...

Seriously, I want my children to live lives that are pleasing to the Lord and to find a godly spouses when the time is right. I want their lives to be living testimonies to God's grace, love and power.

Let's all pray for our children, regardless of their ages, that they find godly spouses one day and that we are able to impart godly wisdom to them during their formative years as they become men and women after God's own heart. If your children are already married, pray for them and their spouse that they continually look to the Lord for solutions to life's problems and that they become examples of God's unconditional love in a world in need of love - God's love.

Dear Lord,

Please protect my children from my mistakes and shower them with all of YOU and help them to become the mature, godly, responsible adults that YOU want them to be so they can have marriages, lives, ministries, etc... after YOUR plan. Amen!

Listen to this song and get your tissues ready just in case - Find Your Wings by Mark Harris