Saturday, February 16, 2013

Staying Married

I've heard it said:

“If you want to DO more for Jesus, stay single; if you want to BE more like Jesus, get married.” 

What is meant by this admonition to "be more like Jesus" regarding marriage? He was single, after all.

Simply put, you will have to become a lot more like Jesus (loving, forgiving, etc.) in order to stay married.

Because it's hard. Really hard. 

Even when you choose well. 
Even when you start out the "right way."
Even in the best case scenario.

Anything worthwhile is hard work.

Being like Jesus means cultivating the fruit of the spirit. 

Last night Larry and I opened our hearts vulnerably to the couples here in  North Carolina, sharing some of the challenges we've had in our relationship. 

Without a doubt, marriage has required me to become more like Jesus more so than anything else in my life. My husband often tells people he's responsible for making me a prayer warrior! :) 

More than parenting, more than pastoring, marriage has tested every resolve I have.

But it's worth it. 

If you are married and in a rough spot, there are a lot of things I could encourage you to do today but one that has really helped me more than any other is concentrating on developing the fruit of the spirit.

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