An acquaintance of mine recently took her children and left her husband. There are serious issues plaguing their marriage, and I do not in any way wish to minimize this fact, but she despondently told me that, “he’ll never change.” I immediately refuted that statement to her. Her expectations are boxing him in. More importantly, she has placed limits on the mighty power of our God to change and heal in a miraculous way.
We have friends that are experiencing severe financial hardship. These people amaze me. Their obedience and faith are unwavering. They are in the perfect position to place themselves and their marriage in a box and erect boundaries around their joy. Instead, they willingly give of themselves and their limited resources in ministry to others. I have watched their love for one another thrive and grow. They are living outside the box—allowing God to guide them through adversity and trusting His limitless provisions.
So often, God wants to move us in powerful ways but we allow fear to control our every step. We allow the enemy’s lies to infiltrate and take root in our lives. We allow setbacks and difficulties to bog us down and keep us from striving. Certainly all believers will face challenges and our relationships will definitely encounter tough times, but God never intended for us to live in defeat and failure.
If you want to experience friendship and intimacy in your marriage, what is stopping you? If you want a peaceful home, keep working at being a peacemaker. If you want God to direct your marriage, study His word and seek His face. If you aren’t happy with your marriage—don’t be happy—until you have moved the boxes out of the way to allow God to grow your relationship into all He wants it to be.
“The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.”
Copyright © 2008 Dawn Emeigh . All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Read more from Dawn at Covenant Marriage
[schemaapprating]