The excerpt below was extracted with permission from Elyse Fitzpatrick’s book Sem Fear of My Age, Faithful Editor.
Although statistics seem to indicate otherwise, I don’t think our marriages are deteriorating just because we’ve entered our fourth decade. I think this is a problem that has been unfolding for a long time, but it is only now that we finally realize how quiet the house has become. Entering the twilight of life is not what makes marriage, mysteriously, a thing of black humor with a terrible ending. The movie has been running for some time. But we were too busy with football practices, scientific missions and birthday parties to realize that the foundations of our lives together have deteriorated.
- Think about what life was like before you had children.
- For some of us.
- The beginning may have been difficult; for others.
- However.
- It was charming and peaceful.
- Consider the following questions:.
I like John’s Gospel passage on Mary and the death and resurrection of his brother Lazarus. Do you remember the story of Jesus’ visit to these three bachelors?Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Jesus challenged the cultural conventions of the time when he defended Mary’s desire to sit at her feet instead of fulfilling her obligations in the kitchen. His heart was full of faith and intense love for his master.
But some time after Jesus left Bethany, Lazarus fell ill. “He that you love is sick,” Mary wrote to her Lord. It’s like I’m saying, “Please come help her. ” But then we read the most surprising phrase: “When I found out That Lazarus was sick, he still put two days where he was?(Jo 11. 6) Meanwhile, Lazarus is dead.
Can you imagine Mary’s confusion, disappointment and despair?Can you imagine the dialogue between Mary and Martha, each trying to encourage each other when Lazarus’ illness only worsened?
“Don’t worry, ” may Mary have said, the master will come
“They told me there were only two days left. ” If you hurry, you can help Lazarus. “
Until Lazarus’s death. ” Where is the Lord?” they certainly wondered. “Why didn’t you come? And as they prepared Lazarus’ body, wrapping it in a cloth to bury it and agglogating it with a precious balm, they were filled with disgust and despair. They were friends of Jesus, I could cure you. I could stop him from dying. But the reality is that four days have passed and all the hopes of their hearts are over, as well as life. had left Lazarus’ body.
Although most of us have not experienced the pain of losing a dear younger brother to illness, we all know the desperation to contemplate the death of the dreams we had for our marriage. Maybe you haven’t been thinking about some aspects of your marriage. lately?the expectations and hopes of your relationship with your husband
Then I want to help you examine your heart a little, asking you to think seriously about these issues.
I’m talking
Do not misunderstand. I’m not saying you abandoned the Lord. I’m sure Martha and Mary knew that Jesus could help if he wanted to. They both believe in the resurrection. The problem was not their orthodoxy of faith, the problem was that they did not have enough faith to reach the dark circumstances they lived at that time, the faith did not reach the darkness of disappointment, and although they were in mourning, they found a Mechanism of self-defense in order to continue living. I’m not saying it’s wrong to fight disappointment. We all do that. What we cannot do is try to mask our disappointments by hiding it, showing a brave but not sincere smile, while, mired in disbelief, we mutter, “Is everything okay?” Yes, I’m OK ?.
Now is the time to remember these dark cracks of disbelief and despair and invite Christ to act with the power of the resurrection. You may need to start praying for your husband like never before. Maybe it’s time for me to do it. Say that, change or not, you will find that faith says more than, “Is everything all right?”I’m fine, aren’t I? You must have a faith that says, “These things are an advantage in my life. Heavenly Father uses this circumstance for his glory and for my good. So even if I wanted my husband to change in some areas, I can rejoice even when he doesn’t. “What was once a rotten corpse of disbelief has become a source of life, faith and joy for me, because I can see my Father’s hand.
Jesus’ presence turns death into life, darkness into light, and tragedy into blessing!Jesus made what was once a curse a source of joy. Maybe your husband isn’t today (or maybe he never was) what you expected from him. However, God has promised that He will give you everything you need for life and mercy in His knowledge. The difficult but comforting truth is that the husband you have received from God is the one you need to know God’s character. He chose your husband so that God could shape her with the help he wants you to be. Do you remember what I wrote in the first chapter?He gave you the husband you have for the glory of God and for your greater good, so in all situations where you feel you are suffering or disappointed, can you rejoice that God?has prepared this problem for purposes that go beyond your immediate happiness toward eternity.
Fearless of My Age was written for women in the middle of their lives. As we age, we wonder about the many changes that are happening in our bodies, our homes, and our pace of life. How do I make the necessary adjustments?How to manage menopause, empty nest and free time for retirement?Elyse Fitzpatrick shows us how our faith can be fundamental to responding to all these changes.
With humor, transparency, and biblical wisdom, it helps us see that God’s plan in guiding us through these changes is to sanctify and glorify ourselves.
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