Love Hopes All Things

As we have seen in the last couple of reflections on 1 Corinthians 13, love calls for action. It also requires a hope rooted first and foremost in Christ, our Savior and source of security. But how does this play out in a fallen world, in broken relationships, and in struggling marriages? Two great lessons I’ve learned, through counseling married couples, are, first, to seek the face of God in every individual, no matter the brokenness, because we are all made in His image and likeness; and second, to always give couples hope that they can overcome their brokenness, especially with grace from God.

When we allow ourselves to remain hopeless or helpless, we open the door for Satan to take control of our emotions and our lives. This can eventually lead us on a path to destruction (ex. Judas Iscariot). If, however, we truly believe that God is with us and that His healing grace is available to us, we can more easily hold onto hope that things can eventually get better, even when we can’t see how (ex. Simon Peter). When we help others have this same kind of hope, we nurture their ability to change unhealthy patterns and create new life opportunities.

 Love calls for married couples to build hope in one other through the rocky times so that together they can weather the storms and come through stronger than ever. We only do ourselves a disservice when we stay stuck in past mistakes, especially when our spouse is trying to make changes in their life. We must keep trying, picking each other up when we fall and seeking God’s grace and mercy at all times. Hope is believing God can bring good out of bad, even if that looks different than we expect.

ACTION STEP: This week, as a couple, pray for God’s grace to find hope in areas of your marriage that seem very hard to overcome. Seek guidance from others you trust (or a therapist, if needed) regarding ways to overcome these struggles.