MARRIAGE IS WORK
'' To rekindle an old love is a thousand times more sensible and pure than to participate in a scandalous adulterous fling". This lines stuck to me as I read the book by H.B London and Neil B. Wiseman, '' Pastors at risk". your marriage will never work better than you are ready to work at it. The success of your marriage is your responsibility, do not leave it to your spouse.
Having been a member of the marriage committee in the organisation under which I serve, I have had the opportune moment to see many marriages go through turbulence. I have been able to see couples torn apart, let God guide their hearts through the tough route of reconciliation and I have also seen couples who were not willing to even give it a fight but saw going their separate ways a gift from God. In all, I have learnt one very vital lesson, divorce never honours God no matter the reason. In fact, God would desire couples never to consider it as an option but to work through their differences.
I would really love to share a few thoughts with us to ponder:

1. LEAVE AND CLEAVE: In Mark 10:6, Jesus was very specific to the man when he told him to leave his father and mother and cleave ( stick, adhere, cohere, cling, to adhere firmly and closely or loyally and unwaveringly) to his wife. How come this was not to the woman but to the man? The fact remains that it happens naturally for the woman, she takes up the man's name and it's not very difficult to cleave but for the man, once he marries a lady, cleaving becomes a challenge. Work will always want to suck all the space. But you must battle to cleave no matter what.

2. NO DEFINED PATH: I am yet to see any marriage with a defined path. Very unpredictable things happen in all marriages. You might experience delay in conception. There could be sickness, financial crunch, children experiencing health challenges. Most times, these things will not announce it's arrival. Even though we have modified it to be " for better, for richer", it does not change the fact that worse things could happen in marriage. Oyedepo would organise powerful meetings round the world where people would get healed. But for about 15years, the wife had an incurable ailment. They both did not give up on each other but they stayed and fought it together. Today, the marriage is stronger.

3. WHEN THE FEELING DIES: You will not always feel good about your spouse. There are times you will have great doubt and serious resentment in your heart. There are times when how you feel will not sustain your marriage but what you decide. Resolve your issues, if possible get help. No unresolved issues goes away with time. There were times in my marriage my wife would question my every move, challenge my every will and resist my every intention. At this point, loving my wife became so difficult but what saw me through such times was the willingness to make my marriage work.

4. MAXIMISING SEASONS: Certain things will not go by prayers or fight but by age. As you grow older certain things will naturally go. There was a time in my marriage I felt my wife was stingy and didn't want to support the house financially. As I grew older, I got to understand I was wrong. My wife only wanted to be sure I was not lazy and wanting to feed off a woman. There are certain things in marriage you will not always enjoy but your courage to endure such becomes your biggest victory. Seasons are not permanent, they come to pass.

5. VULNERABLENESS: Every marriage is a target for the devil. The devil wants to destroy your marriage by all means. Until your marriage is destroyed, the devil will not stop. This is why you need a level of spirituality to be able to check mate the activities of wicked spirits. You must engage the force of prayers, fasting and studying of God's word

Your marriage is worth fighting for. When you are married, you must decide to stay married. Your marriage will not fail.