GPS to a Joyful Marriage

I feel as though I spend way too much time seeking help.  I listen to music and advertisements for a half-hour on the phone waiting to talk to a real person, only to repeat this frustrating annoyance two days later because the initial person I talked to never did their job in fixing the problem.  I call the bank to correct an error I dealt with a week before but it had never been processed.  I continually have to repeat my case to large companies because the left hand has no idea what the right hand is doing. I wait for a worker three days in a row who either doesn’t show up or calls with some excuse for his delay.  He only did half of his job when he finally came and walked out with an expensive part that we had paid for.  (He claims he doesn’t have it even though we noticed it was gone five minutes after he left.)  What is going on in this world?  No one wants to be responsible.  Very few are committed to doing the best job they can....

I believe the word commitment, in marriage, has been “watered down” to suit each individual’s idea and need.  Most couples struggle to get through the day-to-day grime that marriage can be, much less grasp the terms of a lifetime commitment.  And with the high divorce rate in our country,  how can you understand those terms if you come from a broken home?   Ironically, I have seen couples determine to make their marriage work because of the poor role model they had from parents who divorced.  I, myself, chose not to stay on the same path my father walked so my children wouldn’t be the victims of divorce as I was.  I also feared dying young as he did, which, to me, appeared to be a result of the guilt he carried and wrong choices he made.  Unfortunately, many adult children of divorce lack the insight to recognize the effects of a broken home and make the same mistakes their parents did. Even more persuasive than our parental role models is th...

Commitment:  The state of being bound emotionally or intellectually to a course of action or to another person or persons: a deep commitment to liberal policies; a profound commitment to the family. Commitment seems to be a dying value.  I don’t know about you, but inevitably, when I have to take care of the business of living, one roadblock after another causes me great frustration due to the lack of commitment in someone supposedly doing their job. For example:  We own a condo in Orlando and the rental management company recently stopped their work in Orlando.  It took me a month just to talk to a person (after no one answered emails and voicemails) to find out how we would make the transfer and to confirm that we would be getting all the money owed us.  (We didn’t see that for another month.)  It took a few more weeks after that (again, with multiple emails and voicemails) just to get the name of the renter and another week to get his phone nu...

Last week, Rick and I attended the Jewish wedding of the daughter of our dear friends, Ira and Gloria Brawer.  Ira is the Messianic Rabi of his own congregation in Boca Raton.  It was wonderful to watch Ira, now the spiritual leader and solid rock of this community of believers, as he spoke blessings over the marriage of his daughter. We met Ira and Gloria 25 years ago when we all lived in Colorado Springs.  That was the time in my life I experienced the crisis in my marriage.  Ira and Gloria were an amazing example, to me, of faith and God’s love.  They were an important factor in leading me on the right path to God. Ira and Gloria had a dream of moving to the southwest coast of Florida because the largest percentage of Jewish people lived there.  They wanted to lead them to Jesus. They struggled financially, at that time, working odd jobs to support their family.  I remember Gloria would come to my house to do laundry because her machine br...

It seems, lately, that whenever I turn on the news or read the newspaper, I’m always shocked at the broadcasts of the day.  Just when I think things can’t get any worse – they do.  I shouldn’t be surprised, though.  God’s Word speaks over and over about what to expect in the end times. The problems people face these days also seem to be at a greater intensity.  Everyone is dealing with some major issue in their lives.  Finances, illness, rebellious children and troubled marriages are just a few of the culprits.  As Christians, we need to remember that we’re not alone in our sufferings and continue to reach out to others, even when our own problems overwhelm us. I Peter 4:12-13 tells us, " Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed."   ...

                                 Have you ever looked at your spouse in wonderment as to why you ever married them?  Okay, admit it.  I believe we all have occasional moments of doubt.  It is our nature. The good news is that the more you work at improving your relationship, the less those moments arise.  Let’s face it, it is difficult living with other people, especially those of the opposite sex. There will be issues no matter whom you live with.  Magnify that by love and marriage, and struggles are inevitable. Marriage takes continuous work.  I Corinthian 7:1 tells us, “It is good for a man not to marry.”    Hmmm.  Marriage does comes with its own mountain of problems.  Paul was much more successful at fulfilling God’s plan for him because he could focus every aspect of hi...