In "Other" Words

As a young bride at twenty two, married to the man who had prayed for me at the tender age of fifteen, I had a very limited understanding of what God's design for marriage was. I knew I was to "leave" and "cleave" and that we were "one flesh", but beyond this, I began a life hoping to find joy and fulfilment only to discover that I struggled deeply within myself. I had a husband who loved me immensely, I was a born again Christian and it just seemed everything should be fine. I found the unfulfilled expectations I had seemed hopeless. Most of my struggles did not stem from my husband, but from my own fears and insecurities. I did not believe that I was capable of being loved. I struggled to accept God's unconditional love for my life and all of this only spilled over into my relationship with my husband. Over the years God has stretched our relationship to the very core. Our love for each other never wavered but the storms of life pounded against us one right after another at times.

James 1:2-8 (ESV) says,

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways."

As the years went on I sought the Lord with everything in me. I did not want all these trials and troubles wasted. I asked the Lord for wisdom and understanding on His plan for marriage. I lived to this point in my plan for marriage and it was not working for me. Slowly, the Lord moved me down a path showing me not only His plan for marriage but brought healing and deliverance from the struggles that had entangled my life. God brought people and put me in places where biblical truths were taught and this changed my life dramatically. One truth in particular sticks out in my mind that changed my course for good. "Marriage was not designed to make me happy, but to bring God glory!" My marriage was to bring God glory! What a enormous relief this was to me. My joy (happiness) could only come from the Lord and Him alone, and therefore the joy I experienced in my marriage was a result of following God's plan for a biblical marriage. I live each day hoping my marriage will continually bring glory to God!

"One of the secrets to a happy marriage is remembering the source of our joy, which is not one another. The source of our joy is the Lord. Yes, we share tons of joyous moments, but we don't expect, let alone demand, endless joy-filled moments from each other. "

~ Liz Curtis Higgs ~from the devotional: Rise and Shine

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