You are not a quitter!
“Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.” (NIV) Mark 10:9
A man who wants to save his seven-year-old marriage from dissolving because his wife wants a divorce, went to his father who gave him a diary with a day-to-day activity which he has to follow for forty days and hopefully if he finishes the entire forty-day activities, it may help save his marriage.
Desperate as he was, he agreed to go through the activities day by day. On the twentieth day, he was frustrated and wanted to give up because all the gestures and activities meant to woo his wife’s heart went unappreciated and ignored.
He then went back to his father to complain. His father then asked him to describe the attitude of his wife though he has shown her all the love that the activities entailed. In his description, he said the wife was ungrateful, unappreciative and undeserving of all the love he has shown her just to save their marriage. He added that his wife was not concerned about how he felt.
The father then said to him, "this is exactly how we treat Christ even though He has shown us so much love by laying down His life for us so that we will have salvation. Even though He has shown us so much love, we continue to show so much ingratitude by sinning and rejecting Him every day but He still loves us and waiting with open arms to accept us whenever we repent." The father then added "...you are not a quitter,...this (loving your wife) is not based on feelings...It's a decision, You can't give up yet. Keep taking a day at a time." The son listened to his father's advice and he was able to prevent the divorce, change his wife and regain his marriage.
Dear reader, this story is based on the movie "Fireproof" which we will encourage you to watch if you have not done that yet. God never wants us to divorce when we are married that is why he emphasized in his scriptures "and the two shall become one flesh; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." Mark 10:8-9. If your marriage is facing difficult times and divorce seems to be imminent, we want to encourage you not to give up now. Perhaps you would have to see a Christian counsellor/parent/mentor to offer you useful ideas just like what the father gave to his son. Above all, it is paramount to pray earnestly to God for wisdom, guidance and the strength to remain strong to fight for your marriage. Is anything too hard for the LORD? (Genesis 18:14), just put your trust in him and he will surely restore your marriage and Christian home. Perhaps your marriage is not facing any imminent divorce but we believe you can still use this message to build a happier Christian home. God bless you!