We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:20-21
I had a message from a woman in Australia who has a restored marriage, and a few of the words stuck out to me. She said, “I reckon it’s our job to encourage others now, I know the faith-building encouragement I got from every restored story I read, and I’m sure God used them to keep me in the gap! I will be hanging around for a long while to come.”
She is so right! We need those of you with restored marriages to take on the job. As the scripture I shared above states, we need you to become Christ’s ambassadors! What a privilege. Paul was encouraging the church to be ambassadors of reconciliation. That can also be your job.
The Internet is full of people who want to share all the highs and lows of life with others. If a person has a great meal in a restaurant, they will go on Yelp and give a review. If the service was awful, they may comment on that restaurant’s social media page and make sure the world knows how terrible it was.
You have been given the gift of marriage restoration! You have walked through a journey that is unique and special. It may not have felt too special at the time, but you were chosen for a particular task. What a shame it would be to now have that gift you prayed for and keep it to yourself.
The world needs to know the hope that exists for marriages because of Jesus Christ! People need to see others walking through hardship yet not giving up.
When Paul was in prison, he wasn’t in the perfect place where he had envisioned his ministry taking place. Yet God used him in that place and well beyond because of his hardship. Don’t waste what God has done in your life. The ugliness of what you walked through can be such an encouragement to someone else.
One thing that I know keeps people from sharing what God has done in their marriage with others is feeling like you can’t tell people about your restored marriage because “…my marriage isn’t perfect yet.” Let me tell you a secret. Your marriage will never be perfect. You are two sinners trying not to have a 50/50 marriage but a 100/100 marriage. Every couple will face seasons of hardship. Don’t let the enemy trick you into thinking you don’t have a testimony yet.
There are stages to restoration. It is an ongoing process. I have shared it many times before, but my mom’s favorite saying was, “Once a stander, always a stander.” She was never going to stop praying and fighting for her marriage. She never felt like once restoration happened, it was the finish line.
Other people need to see how you process the ups and downs of reconciliation.
How did your spouse get over the other person?
How did you combine finances again?
Did you struggle with feelings of jealously once your spouse was home?
How did God redeem the years that were lost when you were apart?
Our friends, Fabian and Luz, shared some of their testimony in a Fight for Your Marriage Podcast episode (#106) called Life After Restoration. They were honest about the ongoing process of restoration and healing. Discussions like this help people standing for restoration understand what to expect when reconciliation is happening.
Will you help us fight for marriage restoration? I’m sick of seeing couples torn apart as if there is no hope. We have hope because of Jesus Christ! There is a misconception that you must give all the gory details when you share your testimony. That isn’t necessary. In fact, it often isn’t even helpful. You can share general bits of information without going into much detail. That is still beneficial to another person.
How can you help?
- Be willing to share your story. You don’t have to get on stage and tell the dirty details of your marriage problems, but you can tell others that God has restored your marriage. Bring it up in conversations with other couples. They may be suffering silently, thinking nobody understands their marriage hurts.
- Share a testimony with the RMM family. Send a progress update so others standing where you once were can see the hope on the other side of their stand.
- Ask God to open doors for you to share your story with others. Who knows? You can even share on the Fight for Your Marriage Podcast.
I will be praying for you as you and your spouse ask God to open doors for you to start this new job as an ambassador for marriage restoration. Let me know how God is opening doors for you to share.
God bless,
