Psalm 34:18(NLT)
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”
Marriage is one of our most rewarding relationships. When it comes to human-to-human interaction, marriage is the relationship God established first; it is the foundation upon which families are expanded. God intended marriage to be sacred and uncomplicated. It should be stamped with His brand of love, unity, and peace, because that is the way He created and desires everything to work. The problems and complexities of the world have increased, and one of the downsides is that many of these issues have spilled over into our relationships with one another, particularly marriage.
Because
marriage is so important to Heavenly Father’s agenda, it is no secret that the
adversary tries to vehemently attack it. As a result of the adversary’s lies
and attacks, many of us do not view marriage in the light that God intended for
this beautiful blessing. Most individuals see it as a very difficult
relationship to maintain, but in truth, marriage is not difficult, people are.
Of course, marriage comes with its challenges, but this is the case with
anything worth having. Marriage will stretch us to love beyond the threshold of
our perceived capabilities. People have free-will, they have choices, and they
can change very suddenly. This can be mild, or it can be extreme. But either
way, one of the most challenging aspects of marriage is when you think
everything is going fine, and out of nowhere, you see a side to your husband
you never saw before. It’s one of the instances that causes us to stretch, but
not to the point of being physically or mentally harmed.
Ephesians
4:31-32(NLT) tells us, “Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words,
and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each
other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has
forgiven you.” This is God’s instruction to all of us. He wouldn’t have
told us to conduct ourselves this way if we lacked the ability to get it done.
Heavenly Father doesn’t want anyone disrespecting another person. And by the
same token, He doesn’t want any of us being disrespected by someone, especially
in a marriage. The love of Christ should be in our hearts, and his love should
surround our respect and adoration for our spouses. But sometimes our spouses
surprise us with their lack of understanding about honor and respect. We see
things we couldn’t have imagined or expected to see, and the person we fell in
love with is not the person we thought we knew. But when it comes to violence
and abuse, it isn’t just a matter of disrespect, it’s an abuser’s attempt to
control, manipulate, harm, and devalue. No one deserves to be treated that way.
Violence
and abuse in a relationship doesn’t just go away, as most abused partners will
attest. It requires spiritual and emotional intervention, and the abuser must
be willing from the depths of their hearts to change.
While
dating, many of us fail to discern if the person has a relationship with God
through Jesus Christ, or if they hold themselves accountable to Heavenly
Father’s moral and spiritual standards. When a person refuses to be accountable
to God for their conduct, it is a gigantic red flag. We really don’t have
anything to work with when this is the case. It is one of the reasons that God
wants us to grow in Christ to the point that we use good judgment and wisdom in
our decision-making. When we listen to God, we don’t rush into things. Instead,
we wait patiently, walk with Him, and move only as He guides.
The
bottom line is that many spouses discover that they weren’t as prepared for
marriage as they thought. The spiritual lesson from choices gone wrong is to
begin to live our lives in such a way that we depend totally and completely on
God in everything we do. He tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6(NLT), “5 Trust in the
LORD with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his
will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” It doesn’t
matter how old we are, we are still children to God, and no matter how many
mistakes we make, He never holds them against us. He wants to help us, because
He loves us. He’s our Heavenly Father, and we will never be too old to totally
trust Him with all that we are.■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living
Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers,
Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“He’s Not Who You Thought”, written by Kim for https://rescuefromdomesticviolence.blogspot.com©
2021. All rights reserved. All praise and honor to God through Jesus Christ,
our Lord and Savior.
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