Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Hope for a Blessed Marriage

Last Friday I was asked to testify at a friend’s custody hearing. As we waited for our turn to go before the judge, we witnessed several other cases that were called before my friend’s case. I came away with an enormous feeling of sorrow. I realized that without the grace of God I could very well be waiting in the same line.

I want to share some of the resources that I feel have contributed to the fact that my husband and I are celebrating our 31st Anniversary today and our seven children are secure in knowing that their parents love and honor each other.

Our marriage did not start out on a firm foundation, but we were both determined that divorce was not an option. Therefore, we could either be miserable for the rest of our lives or learn to make it work.

First and foremost in God’s plan for guiding us along the right path was the Family Life Conference “A Weekend to Remember”. We have attended four times. At the conference I learned that God created and ordained marriage and has a plan for how it should work. The world’s plan for marriage that I had known was very different and very flawed. The conference laid out God’s plan and provided direction.

A book that made a big impact in teaching me to be a better wife was, “A Woman After God’s Own Heart” by Elizabeth George. Many books I read about making marriage better left me feeling discouraged because they required a mutual effort. He wasn’t always as receptive as I would have liked. I felt that if he would - then I would - and then we could be happy, but he won’t - so I can’t - so there is no hope. This book taught me that I should treat my husband with love and respect whether I felt like he deserved it or not out of obedience to Christ. Christ is always deserving of my obedience and the Word does command wives to honor their husbands. This mindset helped me to be more loving even when I didn’t feel like it. Lo and behold my relationship with my husband improved dramatically!

Finally, I will mention one other book that has taken our relationship to new levels of joy and satisfaction. “Reviving Your Romance” by Terry and Barbie Franklin is a 40-day devotional that helped us to talk about deep issues that are rarely discussed. Talking about these things made us feel closer than ever before.

Please be encouraged. God loves you and has an amazing plan for your marriage. He wants it to be a source of joy and delight. If you will trust Him and seek His will, He will take you from wherever you are right now to a place of abundance. He did it for Danny and I and He will do it for you too!

5 comments:

  1. Wow...what an encouraging message! Thank you for inviting me to read your blog, it really lifted my spirits! You write beautifully...ever thought about writing your own book? :-)

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  2. Thanks Theresa,


    Deb and I need to sit down and do the 40 day books, I could tell you saw more than you wanted to when you went to court. God has blessed our families with good workable partners but we always need to keep working at it.

    Love ya

    david

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  3. Hi, Theresa!

    Thank you for inviting me to your blog. It was a surprise for me.

    I enjoyed reading "Hope for a Blessed Marriage". As another poster suggested, why not write a book with the same title? I would buy a copy for myself.

    Frankly, you are the only happily married couple I know.

    Russ from the Hatcher Square

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