One of the most eye opening statements I ever hear my wife make is when she states that if she had to endure her stand all over again, she would be willing to do it because of how much closer to the Lord she has become. Since first hearing Charlyne say that, I have heard many other women in restored marriages echo her thoughts.
A small event at our home this week helped me to understand what she meant. Several months ago we had a piece of tile break in our bathroom. (I could tell you about a grandchild without a key attempting to crawl in through a laundry chute, but I might slip and mention someone by name.)
Long story short is that one piece of tile after another began to fall off the bottom of the wall. I knew it needed to be repaired, but did not look forward to the mess and inconvenience that would accompany even a simple repair. Like most men, I had an "everything still works so why worry" mentality. Finally my wife called the tile man herself.
The one day job stretched into a second day. Meanwhile, my items on the counter had been replaced by a fine grit. In fact, everything in there had been replaced by that grit. That first night I was certain the result would not be worth what we were undergoing.
Now, two days later, the tile man and his grit are gone. Everything has been cleaned up, the rug put down again, and it looks beautiful. I do not dare ask Charlyne, but I wonder why she didn't get the project started sooner.
Can you see where I am going? Much like a grandkid and a laundry chute, Satan discovered what the enemy thought was an entry into your family. Even if he had been resisted with success that first time, a few tiles were knocked loose, opening the way for a few more to fall over time. Finally the person in that home we call a stander declared enough was enough, and the disruptive and inconvenience work of marriage restoration God's way was started.
I do not dare compare our bathroom with your marriage, except to say I am glad we both did not give up on either our marriage or our tile work. The results are worth the temporary inconvenience. They will be for you also.
