It breaks my heart to see the brokenness that needs to take place in some marriages before they surrender and call for help.
This afternoon as we were at home between meetings the doorbell rang. I was greeted by a familiar face. It was the husband of one of the couples in our Couples-In-Crisis group from last year. We had always wondered what had happened to them since they just stopped coming to the group. They were so filled with anger, bitterness, and unforgiveness that we knew God would really need to penetrate their hearts. Now, here, a year later he shows up on our doorstep. God is good! He was nervous and when I asked him how he was he replied, “Not so good”. We invited him in, sat down at the table, and he began to pour out his heart to us like we’d never seen before. Their marriage was deteriorating. He didn’t know what to do but he knew they needed help. He told us that he had just recently begun going to church and he was beginning to sense some sort of peace. At that church, they had gone to a marriage class but at the end of class, the couples were told to face each other and pray together. At that point, they both decided that wasn’t for them. They didn’t want to pray together. They didn’t even want to face each other. They despised each other. My heart breaks when I think of the pain they feel each and every day when it comes to their marriage. It took a lot of guts for him to show up on our doorstep. After a while, we prayed with him and we will be meeting with her next week. After that, we will once again begin working with them in one of our groups.
I am so thankful for my marriage. Though it is not perfect, it is secure and grounded in Jesus. I am thankful for the sense of peace in my home and my heart. I am truly blessed. I just wish those hurting couples could see beyond their pain and gaze at our loving Father who is there right before them with open arms ready and willing to carry them through their trials.