When I was a young married girl, I had this great mental picture of what I believed my marriage was.
I imagined a giant, swirling hurricane, and my husband and I were right in the center of it. All the crazy stuff in life swirled around and around us, but we were safe inside, because we had each other. No matter what went on in the world around us, we were untouchable as long as we held on to one another.
Then he betrayed me.
I imagined a giant, swirling hurricane, and my husband and I were right in the center of it. All the crazy stuff in life swirled around and around us, but we were safe inside, because we had each other. No matter what went on in the world around us, we were untouchable as long as we held on to one another.
Then he betrayed me.
Suddenly, instead of being there in the safe center of the storm with me, he had become one of the messy things swirling around outside. I felt like my whole world was falling apart. I was sickened, scared, angry, hurt—alone.
Then I realized.
I was hanging out in the center of that hurricane with the wrong god.
I’d made my marriage an idol and my husband a god. When that false god failed me, I thought I had nothing left.
Then it hit me.
The only way to repair the damage in my marriage was to bring Jesus into the center of that hurricane with me. Truly, He is the only One who can protect me from, or see me through, the trouble that swirls around me.
For the number of years that I’ve been married, that was a long time ago. God has done some super amazing things in our marriage and we are definitely not where we were before. We are so much closer. We are so much better.
To have intimacy with your spouse, you have got to have intimacy with the Lord first. When you are intimate with your spouse, in conversation, action, or otherwise, you are exposing your heart. You cannot rely on your spouse to protect your heart at all times. He or she is a sinful, fallible human. The only One who can hold your heart safe in times of vulnerability is Jesus.
Linking with:
Linking with:
(Titus 2)s Days @ Time Warp Wife
Wisdom Wednesdays @Simply Helping Him
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays
Encourage One Another @ Deep Roots at Home
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Wednesday Link up at Adorned from Above
Home Link Up at Raising Arrows
Homemaking Party @ Hope In Every Season
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner
Thriving Thursday @ Serving Joyfully
Homeacre Hop
Desire to Inspire @ A Royal Daughter
Think Tank Thursday @ Saving4Six
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Motivate Me Monday
Modest Monday @ The Modest Mom
Living Proverbs 31
Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy
Better Mom Mondays
Marriage Monday
Manic Monday @ Cupcake-n-Bake
Mommy Mondays
Making Your Home Sing Monday
Inspire Mondays
Wisdom Wednesdays @Simply Helping Him
Winsome Wednesday @ My Daily Walk in His Grace
Whole-Hearted Home Wednesdays
Encourage One Another @ Deep Roots at Home
A Wise Woman Builds Her Home
Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers
Wednesday Link up at Adorned from Above
Home Link Up at Raising Arrows
Homemaking Party @ Hope In Every Season
Thursday Favorite Things @ Katherine's Corner
Thriving Thursday @ Serving Joyfully
Homeacre Hop
Desire to Inspire @ A Royal Daughter
Think Tank Thursday @ Saving4Six
Home Sweet Home @ The Charm of Home
Motivate Me Monday
Modest Monday @ The Modest Mom
Living Proverbs 31
Inspire Me Monday @ Create With Joy
Better Mom Mondays
Marriage Monday
Manic Monday @ Cupcake-n-Bake
Mommy Mondays
Making Your Home Sing Monday
Inspire Mondays
:) Very nice.
ReplyDeleteVery well said! Jesus first, everything else built around Him and you are safe!
ReplyDeleteSo many think a marriage has to be over when a betrayal happens. Your reason why it doesn't have to happen is well stated.
ReplyDeleteExactly right...Jesus first - everything else is second. No other gods.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful testimony! And a great reminder that we find our fullness in Christ and not in each other. Blessings!
ReplyDeleteSo true! Anything we put our trust in other than God is a false God...even sometimes "good" things.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right on this! It's easy to idolize our marriages, especially when they are good, rock-solid relationships. But Christ MUST be the center of that relationship, or it is doomed.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking up to Desire to Inspire!
"I’d made my marriage an idol and my husband a god."
ReplyDeleteYes, Sarah, you hit the nail on the head -- any time we allow anything but God to be the center of our world, we are destined to be disappointed. God is jealous, because He knows His love is the only love that will complete us. We are wise to remember this. Thanks for sparking the discussion.
Thank you so much for sharing your heart in this. I found you through the Thriving Thursdays link-up and what you shared really touched me. It is so easy to put our husband in the place where Christ should be and expect him to fill a role that is impossible for him to fill.
ReplyDeleteAmen to that, Sarah! I've been there and done that same thing and it always leads to more messiness and damage from the storm. But I'm keeping my eyes glued on the One who can truly bring me and my husband together--sorta like Superglue! Great thoughts and I'd love to have you link this up Wednesday for my weekly link up - Wedded Wednesday over at my place, Messy Marriage. Great thoughts!
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah, I found your blog through Desire to Inspire. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for this reminder! I am truly thankful to God that He made it known BEFORE my husband and I got married that he would not be sufficient to meet my every need, and that, you know what, he will even fail me at times. I wrote a little bit about it here, if you want to take a look. :)
http://www.whatsonmymindgrapes.com/2013/01/25/what-pornography-has-done-to-us/
Thankful that God is big enough to redeem EVERYTHING and ANYTHING!!
"To have intimacy with your spouse, you have got to have intimacy with the Lord first." - This is so true. Thanks for sharing over at WholeHearted Home this past week.
ReplyDeleteVery true! So glad you shared on the HomeAcre Hop, come back tomorrow! Nancy HomeAcre Hop
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