The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. (2 Tim. 4:18)
As I prepared for my wedding, countless friends, teachers, and mentors of all kinds approached me to offer advice. “Keep separate bank accounts,” insisted one friend, who said the method was what made her third marriage stick. “Dedicate one night each week to discussing the budget,” said another friend. A third told me to go to bed if we were arguing, because we’d wake up and realize the argument wasn’t important. Every piece of practical advice came with the same shared observation: “Marriage is tough, and it just takes work.”
In the early years of our marriage, my husband and I found ourselves using almost none of the practical advice we’d been given. Marriage was difficult, and it did take work, but we found our own rhythms. As I got older, I began to understand all the advice I’d received years earlier: Each friend had been trying to find their own personal application of a universal wisdom.
In 2 Timothy, Paul took the universal truth of Christ’s grace and testified to its personal power. In the midst of challenging times in marriage, we have to find practical ways to enact universal wisdom. In the same way, during challenging times in our walks of faith, we must testify to God’s glory and remember his power to protect each of us in the particularity of our lives.
Testify to a friend about God’s power over your particular life circumstances.
Lindsey Priest is an Indiana Wesleyan University graduate and lives in Arkansas with her husband and two sons. She likes to read to the kids, play video games with her husband, and refurbish furniture.
© 2019 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.
