One Man and One Woman

Dear Friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. (I Peter 4:12-14) I was surprised. I felt like a brick had been tossed by a tornado and hit me on the side of the face. The book In Holy Matrimony given to us by our minister said in the first paragraph, “After careful consideration you are sure you were meant for each other and want to spend the rest of your lives as husband and wife.” Just because others were readily getting divorced, that didn’t change what we meant when we said our vows. Isn’t our marriage still Holy? God used this horrible place in which I found myself to teach me, to mature my faith and to change me from the inside out. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. (Romans 12, THE MESSAGE) Discover how the Lord can take you from the shadows of despair to the glory of dwelling in the presence of the Lord.