My wife Tina and I are in our 13th year of marriage. We recently completed the “One Thing” marriage study at Cypress Creek Church, and I was reminded of the growth our marriage relationship continues to go through. When Tina and I first married, we focused on each other’s happiness, and God was not the center of our marriage. After 2 years of failing to achieve “happiness,” we found ourselves drifting further apart, and small things became big arguments. We were attending church, but we were not involved with our church. We had the perfect “social media marriage” … it looked great on the surface but was dying internally. It wasn’t until one of us had the guts to say “we need help” that we began the long process of working on ourselves and our marriage.
Take a moment to read Ephesians 5 and compare yourself to these words in scripture. If you find yourself at a place of hurt in your marriage…reach out for help. You are not alone! One important step in the healing process is summed up in verse 11: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Verse 13 goes on to say, “everything exposed by the light becomes visible-and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.”
Cypress Creek Church has been teaching us what it means to live the great commission and make disciples. A key portion of discipleship is sharing your story and what Christ has done in your life. Romans 8:1 tells us, “there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Matt 10:33 says, “whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in Heaven.” We serve a mighty and powerful Father who has already won the battle through Christ’s death on the cross! We have just a short window on earth to live boldly for Christ. Do not be afraid to share your story with others. It is God’s story of how He is living in your heart.
Your marriage is a great barometer of your direct relationship with Christ. It is OK to struggle and even fail over and over again; we are not perfect. I find this is how God leads me back to the cross to confess my sins and repent. I encourage you to involve yourself with others in your community to help strengthen your relationship with the Lord and at home with your spouse.