"We are at the end of our 25 year rope. Can you help save our marriage?" Those were the words Jon and Anna used just one year ago when they reached out to Rock Solid Families for help. Even after twenty-five years of marriage and five children between the two of them, Jon and Anna felt consumed by past baggage and present life stressors. The storms of life were trying to take them under. When they came to Rock Solid Families in June 2019, they felt empty, bitter, and exhausted.
So many couples like Jon and Anna walk through the doors of Rock Solid Families every day ready to give up. Satan uses things like distraction, discouragement, and distorted thinking to destroy the lives of individuals, couples, and families. Satan tries to pull them away from the things that really matter through distractions like busyness or success? He has used the recent headlines of COVID, racial unrest, political division, economic depression to pull marriages and families under with fear and anger? The distortion of God’s absolute truth has been a very popular tactic of the enemy lately. Just look at the way the enemy’s lies have caused despair and chaos in our world today.
Jesus tells us how to weather these life storms in Matthew 7:24-27.
Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.
What are you building your life and family on? Is it what society says is “true” and “good”? Are you basing your happiness on your own self serving motives and feelings? All those things are sinking sand. They can not hold you up when the storms of life hit. We’ve all experienced storms in life whether you call it infertility or infidelity. Maybe you’ve experienced the devastation of death or divorce. Whatever it looks like, you will always have storms hit your home. Then what?
For Jon and Anna today, they are in a much better place. They believe the Lord used Rock Solid Families and a ministry called Retrouvaille to save their marriage and equip them with the tools they needed to not just survive the storms but thrive during them. They have found community and accountability through Celebrate Recovery where they often share their story with other couples in crisis. Other couples have walked through our doors seeking help saying..."we are here because of Jon and Anna".
There is not one tear that God does not see and want to use for good. Jon and Anna's story reminds us of the hope and help found in God and God alone. They are a reminder of what happens when we lean in and look up. Jon and Anna had to be reminded, even after 25 years of marriage, that Satan is the enemy not their spouse. They have learned how to lean in and work together as one team. They have learned how to “mean what they say and say what they mean” in their communication, so that bitterness and resentment do not take root. They have learned how to truly listen to their partner, so that the other feels loved and heard.
Jon and Anna rebuilt their foundation from the ground up. Do they still have bad days? Sure. They are human, but it’s different this time. They have learned how to lean in and look up committing to each other and keeping their eyes fixed on the Lord. How about you? How can God use your pain and past for His glory? Maybe it's time to lean in and look up!