Good morning and happy Monday! I heard a really encouraging statistic on the radio yesterday morning. Check this out! When married couples who are contemplating divorce, make the choice to stay together and work at their marriage, over 70% of the couples give a 4 to 5 rating (out of 5) of their marriage 5 years later.

How cool is that??!!

Believe me, I know marriage is hard and sometimes it feels like there is no other option besides leaving, but because God created marriage to last a lifetime, He also is fully capable to give strength and change hearts.

When I heard the statistic on the radio, I smiled at my husband as he grinned back at me. We know this is true. It wasn't too many years ago that we were in the midst of making the choice of divorce or sticking it out. Only by the grace of God, we stayed together, made the choice to put God in the center of our marriage commitment, worked really hard at keeping our mouths closed when they needed to be, forgave and prayed, prayed, prayed.

Now, we praise God as we think about what He has pulled us from and how we could rate our marriage at a 5.

Nothing and I mean nothing is impossible with God!!! You may not see another option but God does. You may feel overwhelmed, depressed and hopeless but you must remember that God is in control. The God that created you and your spouse - the God that created marriage is in control.

You cannot change what your spouse says or does but you can control what you say and do. You can control your responses to situations. When you make good choices, your spouse will eventually see and it will make a difference in your marriage. Even if it is just you working on it! (for now)

"So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate." Matthew 19:6

Some books that really helped my husband and I to understand each other better was "Love and Respect" and "The 5 Love Languages".

Living fearlessly in Christ
Christie