When a marriage relationship is difficult, finding joy in the midst of painful moments feels nearly impossible.
How can we possibly experience real joy in the face of real suffering?
Ongoing marriage problems can wear a wife down to a place of discouragement and grief. The burden often feels too heavy to bear. Even women who are determined to be warrior wives, who fight for marriage like only women of faith can, who fight for joy in everyday moments, feel the weight of the battle for their marriage.
Where is joy when you’re weary and in need of rest?
Here are 3 Biblical Ways to Reclaim Joy in a Difficult Marriage
- Recognize progress.
One strategy Satan uses often to discourage me in a rough patch is the sneaky little lie that my marriage will always be difficult. He tries to convince me and you, too, that things will never change.
If you believe that you are doomed to repeat the same mistakes, to remain stuck in the same destructive patterns, then where is your hope? What motivation do you have to keep working toward a healthy marriage?
Do you see how that works, friend? Believing those lies saps us of our strength!
Fight back against the Enemy’s lies and reclaim your hope and joy in the Lord by learning how to recognize progress.
Yes, maybe today even basic communication felt like nails on a chalkboard, but was it as bad as a few months ago? How about a few years ago?
Ask the Lord to help you see the ways in which your marriage relationship is changing, no matter how small or seemingly insignificant. Claim the promise of Philippians 1:6 for yourself, and if your husband is a believer, then claim it for him, too.
Quit believing the lie that your marriage is forever doomed, and fight for joy!
Please join me over at the Reclaiming Joy in Marriage online marriage event to read the rest of this article! Here you’ll find 31 days of marriage encouragement from a variety of writers – all for FREE!
Jen 🙂
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