A husband and wife from our church were brave enough to stand before hundreds of other couples and give an account of their marriage. The husband was humble, addressing his pasts sins he committed against his wife, including pornography and prostitution. His addictions held him captive for many years.
It was a devastating testimony to listen to, although hearing that he overcame his addictions and also hearing his wife’s side of the story, filled the entire room with hope. We saw the Lord’s hand at work in their lives and in the end He was glorified.
What stood out to me the most was something the wife mentioned. When asked, “How did you hang on to your marriage for so long, with the hurt and pain that was accruing?”
She responded, “I had to see my husband as Jesus saw him. My husband, a man full of sin, needed Jesus, and salvation was priority.”
With that kind of a mentality, that wife was able to carry on in her marriage, despite the pain of betrayal, hoping in faith that her husband would one day be saved. Her life and how she responded to her husband was motivated by that hope.
By the end of the story the couple was smiling with peaceful countenances. It was obvious that God had saved her husband and her marriage. That does not mean this wife was did not feel hurt and it does not mean that this couple did not experience difficult days… we all do and we all will. However, it seemed this wife found a key to striving through the hard times and receiving healing… and that is by claiming an attitude of faith and seeing your spouse as Jesus does.
