Last Week...

Last week was a bit of a disappointment because I did not complete my weekly 10 goals, and I really wanted to. The week ended with our family coming down with a stomach bug, but Cherie and I also had some intense discussions earlier in the week that took up a lot of time.

The conversations were difficult, but as usual, God provided grace and we were able to learn from the hard things. Oftentimes I make things harder than they need to be because of stubbornness and pride, which makes it that much more of a challenge to make progress in the conversation. I have come to recognize that Satan does not want our marriage to be successful; that he wants to thwart (if it were possible) God's plan to transform our relationship; and so he probably cares a lot about the conversations we have. Satan no doubt wants to see these talks fail, for us to be driven apart by hurt pride, half-truths, quick anger, resentment, frustration, and you-name-it. In short, the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit.

It just reminds me how foundational the work of the Holy Spirit is in my Christian life. I can't do anything right without Him, and that becomes abundantly clear in a marriage relationship. We want to do more than just "do" right, we want to be right -- with God and with each other. We have no hope of that apart from the application of the gospel of Christ to our lives, and that is the work of the Spirit, is it not? So I must pursue that work in me, consciously opening my heart and life for Him to work, and looking for those connections to the gospel that I so much need to make!

Last week I began reading (well, listening) to a great book that I believe will really help me. It has already started me thinking in new directions, and I look forward to being further challenged and changed by it. It is "Every Man's Battle: Winning the War on Sexual Temptation One Victory at a Time" by Fred Stoeker and Stephen Arterburn. Hopefully I will be able to share some of what I'm learning as I progress through the book.