Ecclesiastes 7:14 “When times are good, be happy; but when times are bad, consider: God has made the one as well as the other.”
My husband and I have been married for almost forty-one years. I think back to that time when we both were so young. I was twenty-one and my husband a mere twenty. We were so much in love and had no doubt we could conquer any trials that would come our way. We said those words, “for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, for better or for worse,” with such confidence. There was nothing we felt could undo what God had done. We were two young people not having a clue about the calamity Satan could send our way. We also had no idea of the damage we could inflict on ourselves. We had made plans and in our hearts thought nothing would interfere with those plans. I once heard Mike Tyson, the famous boxer, make a comment that so pertains to life. He said, “Every boxer has a plan for his fight, that is, until they get hit in the face.”
In marriage, and in life in general, we often get hit in the face. Some punches are ones we stagger from, but manage to stay on our feet. We look back and realize that punch was hurtful at the time, but we managed to fight through. Then we experience the knockout punch. It brings us to our knees. This punch, in comparison, makes the other punches feel like a slight slap. We struggle to find the strength to rise, but we can’t even find the strength to put our feet on the ground. We look to each other and realize our partner is in just as bad of a shape. It can be a difficult time especially if we have already had many hits in the face before this knockout punch. Depending on how bruised and battered we are from our previous bouts, those words we once uttered to each other can leave a bitter taste in our mouths. We now understand that those vows we took not only come with the good parts of life, but also the difficulties that life can bring.
There is a referee that can put a stop to the fight. He is the One that can help us both up when we turn to Him and cry out that we have had enough. We have boxed each other to the point where there is no more energy left to fight. He can heal what we have allowed to be broken. He can take the worse and make it better again. We just need to leave the hurts in the ring and realize that when we are hurting people, we often will hurt each other.
Lord, I pray for marriages who might be struggling during one of the most difficult times of a marriage, the loss of a child. I also pray for those who for one reason or another had to walk away; sometimes the pain is so deep.
-- Michele
