From the Trenches (Part One)

An unmarried woman should have a high view of marriage, but also of God's sovereignty in her own life." (Nancy Wilson)

I saw this quote on John Piper’s twitter last week and I really appreciated it.  I think a lot of times single people struggle with keeping this balance. There are a couple of ways that we that we skew of views of marriage and God’s sovereignty in our lives.  This is something that God has really be working on in me and trying to teach me through the guidance of other people around me.

SO, I have sent out a series of 5 questions to married couples that I know.  Some of them have been married for 50 years and some have been married for 2 years.  I was planning on making one giant post of all the answers, but I have found that some of the responses are worth more than a quick glance, so I will be feeding them out on the blog over the next few weeks.

Feedback and discussion are welcome! (Especially from the married people that might following this blog, because I definitely don’t have any expertise on that matter!)

This piece of wisdom comes from Sheryl.  Hope you enjoy!

What advice do you have for overcoming the hard times in marriage?

Many people deal with this question by saying "divorce is not an option". My husband & I disagree! We have both been in marriages where that was "the policy", and divorce eventually not only became an option but a reality. So, while we believe that marriage is a commitment for life, we have what we call "healthy fear" that our marriage could fail, and since neither of us wants that to happen, we work hard at our relationship to make sure neither of us ever has a reason to consider divorce.

What is the best piece of relationship advice you have learned or heard?

When you realize there are bricks coming up building a wall between you, take them down, one by one. Don't throw them at one another. Instead, use them as stepping stones to get over whatever still remains of the wall.