For several months, she read the Bible and went to the counselor, then she invited her husband out on Valentine’s Day. He was not used to this, for she usually did not take the initiative. They sat down at lunch and, over the salad, she told him they were going to talk about something serious. Over the main course, she told him that things were going to be different. She would no longer subsidize his selfishness. As you can imagine, there was no dessert! He was stunned! He could not believe what she was saying, especially that she was losing her love for him because of the way he treated her. But, she stuck to her guns.
Things were pretty unsettled at home, but he began to read some things that she gave him and started going to the counselor also. They had six very rough months. But, after six months of him trying to understand, he agreed to go on a Walk to Emmaus. What is that? The Emmaus Walk is a spiritual renewal retreat. For three days he was with Christian men focusing on God and God’s plan for their lives and homes. He began to see things that he had not seen or understood before. When he came home that Sunday afternoon, he hugged his wife, hugged his kids, and when the kids had gone to bed, he asked his wife to sit with him in the kitchen.
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As they sat down at the kitchen table, he reached over and took her hand and said, “I did not understand. But I want to thank you for acting to save our home. Looking back, I do not like who we were becoming and I absolutely do not like who I was becoming.”
Then, asking her to stay in her chair, he went over to the sink and filled a bowl with warm water. He came back and knelt down in front of her, slipped off her loafers and began to wash her feet, saying, “I am so sorry. I love you and I want to love you with the love of Jesus. Let’s start over.” Today, that is one of the strongest, most Spirit-filled families you could ever find. It is a home filled with joy.
Now, it doesn’t always happen this way, but God can do miracles. You may have a desperate situation to confront. Yet as pastor, I see so many dramatic things going on in the lives of people, as we will simply ask God to restore the boundaries and make a commitment to love God’s way.
My friends, trust in God, trust His boundaries, trust His direction, and trust His restorative power. Wherever you are in your life, He can turn your relationships into fresh, pure, powerful forces that bring life and joy.
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Michael Milton is Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Chattanooga, TN, and is a Contributing Editor to Preaching