The only way to avoid the complications of relationships is to have none. We human beings need each other, so God created us with the capacity to love, to have friends, to get married, and to live in community with each other. But, as Facebook would attest, many of us would simply say of our closest relationships in life, “It’s complicated.”
My own marriage illustrates this well. When Angie and I married back in 1997, we were 19 and assumed life together would be fairly smooth sailing. A decade in, we were discovering and doing battle with the monsters lurking within us (especially me). Things got…well, it’s complicated.
5 Things That Saved Us From It’s Complicated
What saved us? I attribute the turnaround to at least five factors.
Redemption
Jesus died to redeem and heal us from sin and his Holy Spirit finds ways to actively draw our hearts back in line with his. It’s his power that heals.
Grace
My wife made repeated decisions to show grace and extend love to a sometimes unlovable, undeserving husband. She’s amazing!
Talk!
We both decided not to walk out, not to give up, and to pray desperately and repeatedly that God would change each of us according to his will.
Small Group
Our small group at Saddleback Church taught us about opening up, getting real, and struggling in community with others.
Nobody’s Perfect
Our Grace Hills Church family taught us that nobody’s perfect, we’re all broken, and there is always hope when God’s amazing grace invades our hearts and our circumstances.
This article about an “it’s complicated” relationship originally appeared here, and is used by permission.
