My heart was smiling, and tears of joy were falling from my eyes. Today, I was blessed to witness another relationship restored!
So, for this month, I scheduled to talk about perseverance. However, as for this week’s blog, I just knew I was going to write about something else until this happened. That’s ok; I’ll just save that for next week!
Well, I’ve been coaching someone through a difficult time, and today I visited the church she attends with her husband. I sat next to this couple as they worshiped together. A few months ago and quite some time, I would not have been looking at such a beautiful sight. This couple, like many, struggled in their marriage.
Life’s trials can be very painful, especially when they involve the one designed to be your supporter through difficult times. Troubled marriages are unfortunately not uncommon. Many make it through and many do not. When a relationship is broken, uncertainty, hopelessness, fear, and disenchantment may cause a person to give up. Faith in knowing that circumstances can change is what’s needed to prevent abandonment. But when do things get better? How long should you wait? How long are you willing to wait; a month, a few months, a year? What if your spouse had already completely given up? Would you be willing to endure such heartache for years? That’s a pretty tough situation.
Our trials and tribulations produce perseverance. Perseverance is what allows us to get to the finish line. It’s remaining steadfast despite the difficulty in a situation or delay in desires. Perseverance takes being joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer (Romans 12:12). It may be very difficult, but instead of focusing on the situation itself, it may be a good idea to focus on the character-building purpose the situation could have on your life.
Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance character; and character, hope (Romans 5:3-4).
All too often I have heard of timelines people put in situations (usually fueled by outside influence; another topic). “It’s been two months.” I laughed at that one (silently to myself of course). “This has been going on for months.” “We’ve been struggling for years.” These are some of the statements said to me. I do understand, but again, if we think about the why perhaps we would see something bigger. Think about a parent or a supervisor who doesn’t allow another responsibility or promotion because someone may not be ready just yet. Well, perhaps sometimes, God may be saying, “You’re not ready 
yet.” Is there something that has to be learned? Is it that the same old way of dealing with a situation, and expecting different results, is the culprit? Learning what to do differently is part of whats needed in most situations and often neglected. I’m saving that topic for later. [If you’re interested in learning about relation restoration tools, attend the Fighting for Marriage Alone Empowerment Experience.] Could it just simply be that God is working on something in the background, and all that is needed is to trust him and wait on The Lord? His timing is perfect, and as I always like to quote, “Most things are made best in the oven; not the microwave.” Well, there’s a lot of heat in the oven, but it’s necessary for the finished product.
I often have to remind myself of the same thing in my life. Boy am I waiting for some things to finish baking! Well, today the timer on the oven rang loudly for these two. What a beautiful thing!
After service, my response to “I hope you enjoyed it” was “What I enjoyed most was seeing the two of you together again.” Her reply was, “It was because of you.” We both acknowledged it was actually because of GOD. However, he uses us as instruments to bring his message to others during difficult times. I love her for her strength and faith. I am so thankful to God for allowing and trusting me to be an instrument of restoration. I thank God for allowing me to witness another one of his miracles. I thank God for leading me to visit this particular day, for the message I heard from the pulpit made me think of another sharing the same struggles, and I immediately forwarded the message via a text. I pray his word will be planted in her heart.
As the couple I worshiped with today left holding hands (big fat toothy nerdy grin on my face), my new dear friend expressed her desire to want to help others believe in Gods great power to change what seems to be impossible to possible. You see, our perseverance not only allows God to do his work, but the results of his work can cause a chain reaction towards serving others and spreading the hope of his mercy and grace.
GOD IS GOOD! HE RESTORES!
Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him. James 1:12
LC
