"Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate."
Mark 10:9 (NIV)A man desperate to save his seven-year marriage agreed to follow a forty-day plan his father gave him, designed to win back his wife's heart. By day twenty he was ready to quit. Every gesture had gone unappreciated, every act of love ignored. When he returned to his father to complain, describing his wife as ungrateful and undeserving, his father stopped him with a piercing observation: this is exactly how we treat Christ. He has loved us lavishly, laid down His life for us, and yet we continue to sin, reject, and ignore Him daily. Yet He does not quit. He waits with open arms for every returning prodigal. The father's counsel was simple but profound: love is not a feeling, it is a decision. You are not a quitter. Keep going, one day at a time. The son listened, persevered, and saved his marriage. (This story is drawn from the movie Fireproof, which we warmly encourage you to watch.)
God's design for marriage is two becoming one flesh, an inseparable union that reflects His own covenant love for His people (Mark 10:8-9). If your marriage is facing difficult times and divorce feels imminent, do not give up yet. Seek a trusted Christian counselor, mentor, or parent who can walk alongside you. Pray earnestly for wisdom, strength, and the grace to keep choosing love even when it is not reciprocated. Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14). The same God who transforms hearts and restores prodigals can restore your marriage. And if your marriage is not in crisis, let this message be an invitation to build something stronger, a home where Christ's love is the daily decision that holds everything together.
Lord, give me the grace to love my spouse the way You love me, persistently, sacrificially, and without giving up. Where my marriage is hurting, bring healing. Where love has faded, rekindle it. Remind me that love is a decision, and help me to make that decision every single day. Amen.