Marriage Requires Brokenness

10/7/2023

MARRIAGE REQUIRES BROKENNESS

Dear Lord, thank you for breaking me. Thank you for giving me a woman that can see through to my inner soul and know when I’m broken and when I’m not.

All: Patty is free to say anything to me at any time, and she does. She points out the slightest hint of pride, arrogance, and selfishness. That means I am being broken on a regular basis. However, I know that if she stops telling me these things that I am no longer listening.

Dear child, Patty is not your Holy Spirit. Just like you are not her Holy Spirit. Let me work on you. I have you where I want you.

Yes Lord. Your Holy Spirit, not Patty, is breaking, shaping, and molding me into the man you want me to be. You are using my wife as an instrument to do your work in me. Thank you for that. And I praise you for Patty and her willingness to give me the constructive feedback, inspired by you, to help me see better where I am failing.

Dear child, she is also helping you to see where you are succeeding. Don’t be so hard on yourself – you are growing. You are improving. Keep walking with me and trusting in me. I will not let you down.

Father God, you are so tender and gracious. You’re so patient with me. Thank you for taking his broken vessel and how to get to hold water. It holds your holy water. We are your sacred vessels.

All, for those who are married, I have this advice. Get advice from those that have been married for 40 or 50 years. Not from me! Patty and I have started mentoring recently with a couple that have been successfully married for more than 45 years. I highly recommend it.

Christ has a plan for marriages. And so does Satan and his demons. Ministry and organizational leaders are under extreme attack today, more than ever. We must not see our spouse as our enemy or through the eyes of our flesh. They are sent by God on a mission, to be used as agents of the Holy Spirit, to help us grow.

May God bless our spouses and give them the courage, perseverance, and wisdom to fulfill their critical role in shaping us. And may we be sensitive to those who may not be as strong or resilient. For we are all have different behavioral styles and temperaments. My experience is that bold, strong leaders get into trouble when they don’t adapt their style to the needs of others. This is especially true when it comes to spouses who are more sensitive and reserved.

In closing, I paraphrase and echo the words: “I must decrease, so the Christ may increase.” Please Lord, help us to realize that our spouses are the perfect mirror to reflect the degree of Christ that is showing through our flesh. I want to see my wife’s face radiate joy as a result of my interactions with her. And to the degree that I don’t see that, do whatever I need to bring my behavior in line with Christ, so that Christ may radiate through my spouse as well.

Your aspiring (and broken) servant,
Daniel M.
10 July 2023

POSTSCRIPT: Dear friends, if this daily, transparent conversation with God blesses you, please go to www.SOLIDpastors.org, where you will find these posted, and a repository of all, in English and Spanish. If you ever want to chat, you can reach me at [email protected]. May Christ bless you richly as you have your own intimate, daily Conversations with Christ.

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