June 2005

Editor's note: FamilyLife's rapidly-growing International Ministry is reaching out around the world with the message of God's blueprints for the family. Recently we were touched by the testimony of a man from India who attended a marriage seminar with his wife:

When I thought everything was over in my marriage, the Lord rebuilt it from ashes. Ours was a "love marriage," which was arranged. Life was gloomy and bloomy all the day. Cuddling, fighting and loving all the way. But as time trickled the initial charisma and the affection faded away. In a blink of an eye our marriage turned from a beautiful breeze to a thunderstorm.

I never will blame anybody for this. It was my selfishness which took the charm of our marriage away. It violated every vow of the marriage. My wife and I were just like India and her neighboring country. Very few words were exchanged between us. There was a cold war going between us and I was unable to come out of it because of my selfishness

The Turning Point

At the suggestion of one of my colleagues I attended a weekend marriage seminar. The meeting slowly dug our wounds like the doctor opens up the cut to operate. It slowly and steadily opened the wounds. Through the Word of God it showed me the ugly face of my selfishness and sins. As I started understanding and accepting my sins and mistakes there emerged the charisma, and the beautiful moments of our marriage came alive. The lighter moments, happy moments and the tough moments. That's where I discovered the love of God. Words cannot express the feeling and experience that I went through there. I would rather say it's a new life given by God. From there I started discovering and exploring, moving towards God.

What I am today is the flower and not the seed. For he has taken the dying seed with his hands and carefully planted it in the strong and nourished soil for it to grow under His care and grace. The seminar turned my life from a sinner to a winner. The scripts and verses referred by the speakers pinned down all the flaws in our marriage life. I praise God and thank Him for guiding me there through my friend

Now I am more involved [in ministry to] families and children, as that's the area where our cities are heading toward disaster. We went there to the seminar with a conflict, but now I stand up bearing God's grace, mercy, and love in me. And my wife after seven years of successful and unsuccessful marriage, is now bearing a child by His grace and love after submitting our lives to Jesus Christ.

God bless you all who read this and I hope it will make a difference in someone's life who is going through a similar experience like mine.