I love my husband. We’ve been married almost thirty years, and I still enjoy spending time with him and giggling when he teases me. Like most marriages, we’ve endured some tough times: parenting challenges, financial difficulties, job insecurities and death of friends and family members. But the toughest time came just before our twenty-fifth wedding anniversary.
It was quite possibly the most painful yet beautiful time in our marriage. We were in the midst of a lot of change. My husband was unemployed; I was in between jobs. Money was tight and parents were terminally ill, and my husband’s friendship with another woman threatened our marriage.
I knew things weren’t quite right between us, but I wrongly assumed his state of distraction was due to our plate full of challenges. When he confessed that his distraction was, in fact, an emotional attraction to another woman, I was stunned. I never expected that the months leading to a marriage milestone would be precipitated by a crisis in our marriage.
Thankfully, my husband recognized that his feelings for the “other woman” were wrong, and he stood firm in his commitment to me and our marriage. And while the personal struggle he faced ending that relationship caused indescribable pain for both of us; miraculously, it also strengthened our commitment to one another.
We sought professional counseling and guidance from a pastor who was also a close friend, and we asked God to heal our hearts and marriage. We talked more, prayed more and touched more. And God led us into a deeper relationship with Him and one another. Now I’m counting the months and looking forward to our next milestone.
But when I think back on our twenty-fifth anniversary, I thank God for showing us how to persevere in our love and marriage; and, most of all, I thank God for His continued blessings in our lives.
Memory Verse:
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”
– 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 (NIV)
Prayer Prompt:
Good and gracious God, thank You for the joy of marriage and for the gifts of love, friends and family. Draw my husband and me closer to You when we face struggles in our marriage and show us how to be true to You and each other. Help us now in our marriage with . . .”
Contributing Writer:
Anonymous
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