Where Do We Go from Here?

Congratulations! I’m so proud of you for sticking with this study until the end. Now that we’re here, you might be wondering, Well, Joyce, what next? Well, the next and most important step for your marriage is…to take another step! And another. And another. Keep on stepping!

Take the lessons you’ve learned from this study, and always be willing to apply them to your marriage. No matter where you’re at in your marriage, the most important thing is that you persevere—even when it might feel like nothing’s changing.

Don’t grow impatient. The journey to excellence is a life-long process. But God is no respecter of persons, and anyone who trusts in Him will get the same benefits. God will do something awesome in your life. He will bless you, prosper you, and love you into wholeness. Psalm 103:4 (NIV) says He …redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion.

Always remember that God’s Word is powerful. The Bible says it is “alive and active”—it can change who you are and bring positive transformation to your life (Hebrews 4:12). The instruction that God has given us in His Word can also be trusted to bring fruit to our marriages and relationships.

Healing and restoration begins with God. His love is a healing balm, and when we demonstrate God’s love to each other, that healing power is released to work between us. Too often, we try to get too much from people. We try to get our security and reassurance from our spouse instead of from God and then wonder why they aren’t able to fix us. We need to stay full of love from God and then let His love pour out from us to our spouse. This is the fuel for a great marriage.

Now, there are times when additional help may be required. I know of many couples who have met with Christian counselors to help them walk through issues that were particularly challenging. I believe as long as we know that God is ultimately our source, He can and will use other people to help us grow and work things out.

There are also cases like abuse where it’s important for people to let others know what is happening or even remove themselves from the situation. If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, I encourage you to reach out for help.

The enemy likes it when we keep things hidden in the dark. However, God is Light, and when we get things out in the open and shine His light into the situation, it brings freedom and hope.

Wherever you’re currently at in your marriage, I hope the stories I shared in this study demonstrate that God has the power to take you from a place of no hope (or a marriage that’s just mediocre) to a place of triumph in your relationship with each other.

When Dave and I first married, I was so negative, and he was so positive and full of hope in God for our future. By watching Dave and how he demonstrated his faith in God, I learned to get over myself and put my hope in God, too. The change in my life has been so astounding that now I’m compelled to do everything I can to help others find that same happiness—the kind that only comes from the One who can truly fill the longing in our heart. Because only God can show us how to give and receive love.

Change isn’t always quick, so whatever you do, don’t lose hope! It took a lot of time and patience on Dave’s part before I finally listened to God’s words and came around. And even then, it took a long time for me to practice loving Dave the way I should’ve been loving him. But let me tell you, in the end it was so, so worth it.

I am so excited that you have invested the time to participate in this study. Because God’s Word says, ...The measure [of thought and study] you give [to the truth you hear] will be the measure [of virtue and knowledge] that comes back to you… (Mark 4:24 AMPC). This means the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it!

I pray right now that God will do the miraculous in your marriage—that He will heal hurts and wounds from the past, transform you through His love, and help strengthen your bond of unity in a greater way than ever before.

Remember, with God’s help, you can have a marriage that exceeds anything you’ve ever expected—a peaceful, enjoyable relationship that lasts a lifetime.

_{Adapted from the book Making Marriage Work by Joyce Meyer. Copyright 2000 by Joyce Meyer. Published by FaithWords. All rights reserved.}