We had the privilege of David Platt come to speak to all FamilyLife® staff recently. One of the prayers he offered during his time was, “May the spread of God’s gospel be the result of our [FamilyLife’s] work.” He reminded us as a staff, that missions is not always able to show immediate fruit, but the work IS worth it.
It is exciting though when we can see that fruit; how God has welcomed us into that spread of the gospel and it intersects with our work at FamilyLife. The following story is one of those cases – the original story was shared with me by one of the partners of FamilyLife with whom I interact. It is exciting to be a part of ministry that IS spreading the gospel (folks, its not just about ‘good marriages’)!
Karen and Bill’s marriage was in deep crisis when they received a special gift from a friend – the offer of an all-expenses paid Weekend to Remember®. After pleading with her husband for several weeks, Karen was able to convince Bill to accept this gift in April 2015.
As they prepared for the event, they were warned – “expect spiritual warfare.”
Karen said things went from bad to worse in the days leading up to the getaway, but she found strength in the prayers of friends. And she continued to trust in the One who restores.
Tension continued to mount between them, and the drive to the conference felt like the longest they’d ever taken together. Bill used every stall technique he could to delay going and barely arrived on time for the Friday opening session. But once he was there, Bill was quickly engaged and wanted to finish the “homework” before going to bed.
Karen recalled a text that she sent to a friend: “God is good! He is restoring a lot of brokenness … I am filled with joy and hope. This experience has been life altering for me. I have learned so much about myself, and my relationship with the Lord has strengthened tenfold in such a short amount of time!”
But the most life-changing experience came the next day. When the offer to accept Jesus came, Bill went to his knees for prayer and signed a statement to indicate his decision. When he sat down again, Karen said he was “with her” for the rest of the conference, not just next to her.
“It was the equivalent of watching a child run with open arms towards his father,” Karen said. “I was so honored to have had the privilege to witness Bill accept Christ. It was an immeasurable joy!”
The drive home was one of the sweetest – and shortest – ever, and neither of them wanted it to end. One of the many things they talked about was the need they both felt to share this conference with others, and the desire to “pay it forward,” beginning with members of their own family.
Karen and Bill are keenly aware that the daily battle remains … that they still live in this world, where there is one who is out to steal their joy. But they also know that God is greater than any obstacle in this world.
“Bill and I are so aware of the forces that are pulling us apart, but we intend to wear God’s armor and slay Satan’s Dragon,” Karen said. “We will defend and protect our marriage till death do us part.”