A colleague recently shared with me about a medical situation her father once encountered. He suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA) – commonly known as a mini-stroke. Her parents live far away, and she was on a video call with her dad when it happened.
All of a sudden, Dad kept asking me what day and what year it was. He kept asking when my children were born. “Wait a second,” he’d say… “I’m confused.”
After a couple of minutes of this, I asked Dad to put Mom (who was in the other room) on the phone. I told her, “Something is wrong with Dad… “ but before I could finish, she could see in his eyes that something was wrong. She hung up on me, and told me later that she took his hand, walked him to their bedroom, and gave him a hug. Then she said, “Let’s pray.” She later shared, “I didn’t know what was happening with your dad, but I knew that whatever it was, God was bigger.” So her prayer was simple: “God, we belong to you. Our minds, our bodies… they belong to you… “
That, to me, this is a snapshot of a Christian marriage. Life isn’t easy, but we’re not alone. We must help one another when the other is weak. We’re to rely on the Lord and lean on His truth.
We must celebrate marriage. We must celebrate what God has created to model His love and commitment to His Church. We celebrate that He made us uniquely male and female, and that together we reflect Him.
Today, rest in the knowledge that although marriage isn’t always easy, it is good. It is good because HE created it! So for those of us who are married, honor your marriage. Sow into it. Be thankful to God for it, and for the work in you He can accomplish because of it.
For those of you who aren’t married, prepare for it. Hope for it – not because your spouse will suddenly make everything OK, or because you will live an eternal honeymoon once you’re wed, but because God accomplishes His purposes through marriage.
I am thankful that God has given Focus on the Family the honor to play a small role in helping to strengthen marriages around the nation and around the world. I am humbled that we get to share God’s truth: marriage is good, and it “should be honored by all” (Hebrews 13:4).
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