Monday's Marriage Moment -- Don't Take the Long Route!

There are eleven days' journey from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto Kadeshbarnea.
-Deuteronomy 1:2

It should have been a short trip. It was only supposed to take 11 days. Instead it took 40 years. Forty years to attain the promise that God had given them; forty years of circles and cycles. It is tempting to review the account of the children of Israel's exodus from Egypt to their entrance into
Canaan and shake our heads. We think "poor them". How could it take them so long? What were they thinking? They could have entered a lot sooner.

Yet, if we look at our own lives we will see that there have been times that we have circled the same mountain a few times as well. I can certainly see circular tracks around the mountain of my marriage. Times where I repeated the same behaviors and expected different results (insanity...I know). There were times that I acted just like the children of Israel. I complained. I questioned why. I had my doubts. Yes, just like the children of Israel, my patterns led to something that could have been remedied quickly taking years of my life. Years! It took years! It has only been in the last few years that I have accessed some of the promises God made about my marriages at the beginning. John and I have been married for almost 19 years. I circled for at least 10 - actually more like 15, but I digress.

This is why I am so passionate about marriage and the ministry God has given me. I don't want other wives, other marriages, to take the long route. I want the trip between God showing you the promise and you receiving the promise to be short, and if my story can help you than I am more than grateful. As passionate as I am, I realize that my wanting you to take a short cut doesn't mean that you will take one. You, dear wife/husband, have to decide that you will take the direct route of obedience to God. That you will break cycles and patterns that are delaying your arrival to your promised land. Aren't you tired of arguing about the same things? Aren't you tired of fighting the same battles?Aren't you tired of circling the same mountain?

I declare to you that this is the year that we break cycles and stop going in circles! This is the year that we fully align with God and destroy bondages and chains that have bound us. This is the year that we attain a new level in our marriage and our life. Our unions have purpose, and we must agree with God to break those cycles that threaten that purpose. How do we break the cycles? I am glad you asked!

• We partner with God to be the spouse (and the person) that God called us to be.
• We pray and cover our spouse and marriage.
• We walk in love - overlooking minor things and choosing to focus on the major things.
• We prioritize our spouse and our marriage.
• We use our words to bless them and not curse them.
• We walk in forgiveness quickly.

God is adept at breaking cycles! He doesn't want us to circle the same mountain repeatedly. He has given us the ability to conquer and triumph, and I declare that this is the year that we will do just that! Take the short cut, saints! Don't let your pride make you take the long route. Don't let waiting on your spouse to do what is right make you take the long route! Don't let guilt, condemnation, shame, fear, or unbelief make you take the long route! Don't let it take you years to accomplish what could have been done in weeks! He wants you to get there quickly, but it is up to you!