As I was driving the other day, the new song from Mumford and Sons came on the radio.

You’ve probably heard it on the loud speakers at Starbucks or at your dentist’s office.

“So break my step
And relent
Well you forgave and I won’t forget
Know what we’ve seen
And him with less
Now in some way shake the excess

‘Cause I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you
And I will wait, I will wait for you”

I have no idea what the writer of these lyrics truly meant but I love finding inspiration for my Christian walk from a variety of artistic sources.  When I listened to this part of the song, I thought that it perfectly reflects the really difficult times that we’ve had in our marriage and I teared up as I thought about just how powerful forgiveness is.

Our theme verse is, ^“Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” 1 John 4:11-12 (NASB).

How do we love others as God loved us, especially in marriage when you live with the other person day in and day out, sometimes for up to fifty years or more – God willing?

He has loved me by forgiving my sins by His grace.  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.” Ephesians 1:7 (NASB).

We had two tough years after we first were married.  Our problems stemmed from doing a two year long distance relationship, long distance engagement and a period of time in which one of us was having a really hard time of it.

The Bible makes clear that we can expect to go through seasons in life.  Low seasons in marriage could be the result of many things, such as infidelity, porn addiction, severe depression, extremely poor communication, anger, bitterness, discontent, lack of employment, financial lows, a spouse who rejects Christianity – the list goes on and on.

The question is, will you wait for your spouse?

Will you wait for your spouse over and over again?

Will you wait for your spouse for two years while encouraging them and standing by them?

I’m not talking about dangerous situations or situations in which you’re living in constant torment due to physical or verbal abuse.  You don’t wait in those situations, you call the police and get help.  I’m also not talking about Biblical justifications for divorce.

I’m talking about the situations that test your patience, the ones that make you wonder why you got married in the first place.

I’m talking about the ongoing situations that have you wondering, “can I really stand by this person for the rest of my life?”

I was in this situation for two years and I failed to show the love of God to my husband as God showed me love – with patience and understanding and ultimately forgiveness.

I’m at a place now where my husband and I have forgiven each other for our sinful bitterness and actions toward each other during those two years.  God waits for us to repent and return to Him as we sin, as we fail to spend time with Him, as we disappoint Him over and over again.

The song says, “Well you forgave and I won’t forget.”  God forgave me and I won’t forget.  I will choose to extend this same forgiveness to my spouse.

 

With Hope in Christ, Taylor

 

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