A married couple was asked how long they had been married. The husband replied, “We have been happily married for 10 years.” His wife corrected him and said, “Honey, we have been married for 15 years.” The husband replied, “Yes, but five of them were a little iffy.” (Author unknown)
Marriage is hard, but it is worth it. All married couples struggle in their relationship. No marriage is static, and no family is static because the circumstances around us and the currents of life are not static.
31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Ephesians 5:31-32 (NKJV).
This marriage between man and woman is about something much bigger than the relationship itself. It points beyond them to somebody else—to God. Your marriage has a mission, but often the problem is that each person in that marriage has a mission that has nothing to do with God's mission.
Especially, when you are in the stage of life where you have kids, life is demanding. Life on a regular day is going to push us away from each other. The drift is not going to just naturally create intimacy between you in your marriage. The reality of life is that it is hard, and hard things happen; it’s busy. If you have kids, or you’re an empty nester, or whatever stage, I think the natural tendency is for us to drift apart.
And that goes with our relationship with the Lord—drifting apart—our relationship in a marriage, with your kids, with those that you want to have a heart for mission and invest in and trust the Lord to work in their lives.
There’s the world and the forces and cultural currents that happen in our lives, and then there is also the enemy. Scripture tells us, “10 The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” John 10:10 (NLT)
Your spouse is not your enemy. We have an enemy at work seeking to draw us apart from the relationships that matter most, and we must pursue God and pursue one another.
You may think, “Yes, we’ve drifted, but maybe we’ll just float back.” It just doesn’t happen that way.
“33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33 (NLT)
By the way, San Saba’s First Baptist Church will be hosting The Art of Marriage conference on April 22-23, 2022. The Art of Marriage video event features over 40 ministry leaders who provide biblically centered teaching, while couples who have struggled in their marriage share their stories of pain, loss, forgiveness, and grace. For more information, visit our website sansabafbc.org or call the church office (800) 976-7204.