Daly Focus: Becoming One
WHEN MY WIFE, Jean, and I first entered premarital counseling, we had no doubts that we were meant for each other. We felt we were alike in almost every way and enjoyed most of the same things.
By the time we finished our last session, that had all changed. Our certainty had faded, and we were both thinking, Wow! We’re more different than we thought. Is our marriage going to be OK?
No matter how much you and your spouse have in common, you’ll eventually discover parts of your relationship where you don’t mesh. “Becoming one” can be a challenge when each of you feels the other ought to see the world the way you do. What then?
“Becoming one” is all about grace. A couple never knows each other perfectly. Marriage is an unfolding mystery, a day-by-day discovery of what it means to love and sacrifice for another person.
You won’t fully know what “in sickness and in health” means until one of you gets sick. You won’t know what “for better or for worse” means until one of you does something unlovable, and you stay committed to your spouse.
This issue of Focus on the Family magazine offers helpful content no matter where you are in your marriage journey. And if you’re on the brink of divorce, I encourage you to read the article about Hope Restored (page 22). These marriage intensives—conducted in Branson, Missouri; in Greenville, Michigan; and at the WinShape Retreat Center in Rome, Georgia—can go a long way toward facilitating healing between you and your spouse and bringing restoration to your relationship.
You’ll also find wisdom from Gary Thomas on navigating mismatched libidos in marriage (page 14); Ted Cunningham’s thoughts on the importance of laughter in your relationship (page 19); and Bob Lepine’s article on extending patience toward your spouse (page 29).
I hope you’ll be encouraged as you discover how you and your mate can embrace your differences in such a way that they won’t drive you apart—they’ll bring you together as one.
Jim Daly
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