We all know what it’s like to be in the early, blissful stages of a new relationship. Sometimes it’s when you first start dating, and other times, it’s renewed after marriage when you find yourself in the “newlywed” stage. It’s the part of a relationship that no one ever wants to lose—the playful romance, the intentional love and kindness—it’s the picture-perfect version of a marriage.
But we’re all people. And in our humanness, we will always fail one another. It’s something that Jeremy and Kristina McCary learned about three years into their marriage, and it nearly destroyed them.
Nearly.
After giving birth to their first child, parenthood had gotten the best of them. Their relationship went from exciting and blissful to stressful and sleepless in a matter of months.
As life, or Satan rather, continued to wage a war between them, his devilish efforts started to work.
Their marriage slipped away from them as Jeremy began sleeping around with friends of Kristina’s. They were sleeping in separate places, and porn was Jeremy’s new commitment.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
In the pit of destruction, Kristina was sleeping with Jeremy’s friends, he was sleeping with her friends, and they couldn’t bear to look at each other.
But God.
Kristina saw a link online for a Christmas Eve service at New Spring Church. She watched the service and was immediately captivated by the words God spoke to her through pastor.
She made the decision then and there that she was going to pray for God to come into her life, and take over.
But God doesn’t just fix a marriage one-sided. Kristina prayed for her husband’s heart to be softened—that he would welcome God the way she had—and to her surprise, he did.
It’s not in our humanness that we can just fix what’s completely shattered. Break a plate in your cupboard and try putting every single piece back together where it belongs. It will never look like the other plates, and not every piece will fit perfectly the way it did before.
But Jesus came so that we may have life, and have it abundantly. He doesn’t want us eating off of broken plates and filling our mouths with shards of glass. That is the sick work of Satan. God wants us to overcome our past, be healed from our wounds and break free from the chains that are holding us back from living the abundant life He intended for us.
Through Christ, Jeremy and Kristina’s marriage was made new. Better than any plate that could be pieced back together, it was NEW. It was fresh, and it was filled with the spirit of the Lord, who radically changed their lives and their eternities.
If you’re reading this today and you find yourself in a similar place as Jeremy and Kristina, my prayer is that you know there IS hope, and you are not alone.
In this world, we are powerless. But we serve a mighty and powerful God. The God of love and joy, peace and miracles.
May you be inspired by Jeremy and Kristina’s testimony today. And share it with someone who could use the reminder that they are not alone.
