Hope: A Courageous Journey of FaithMfano

DEVOTION - TODAY'S DISCUSSION Genesis 2:22 "Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man." (NIV) Matthew Henry’s commentary shows how this is a beautiful picture of the love and respect men and women are created to have for one another: "That the woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved." When our faith is strong, our marriage is strong. When we love our spouse, we love Christ. Both husband and wife must stay focused on their faith, especially during a crisis. Does this mean that we always get along and agree? No! But, it does mean that we love each other as Christ loves us. During extremely difficult times, our true character shows...the true character of how much God really is in our life, and thereby, in our marriage. If we are strong in our marriage we also teach our children how to select and love the mate that they will have some day. Strong, Christ centered marriages create families that emulate Him! Is this the legacy you are creating in your marriage? FROM "TAYLOR'S GIFT" THE BOOK Over the past year we’d suffered great loss, but we’d also gained some things. Our marriage was now stronger than it had ever been, and so was our faith. We had a deeper connection with each other and with God. While the three recipients we’d connected with certainly didn’t replace Taylor, the hope for their futures replaced the despair we had in Taylor’s death. Being an organ donor was Taylor’s gift to them, but it was also her gift to us. On the fifteenth, I wrote a note to Taylor in my notebook: I’m not falling apart like I thought I would. A gift from you and God. One year without you. How did I ever make it? That night as Tara and I sat together in the kitchen, I said, “If we can make it through this, we can make it through anything.” But the truth was that we had done more than make it. Though it had been the hardest year of our married life, I loved Tara even more now than I did a year ago. TODAY'S REFLECTIONS Do you lean on your spouse for support when times are challenging or difficult or do you take your fear and frustration out on them? Pray today for God to strengthen your marriage or relationship in a way that glorifies Him. Take any problems to God first, then your spouse.