The Power of a Crucified Life {should you stay in your marriage or walk away?}

They say the grass is greener on the other side of the fence.  And… in some cases it is.

Some couples have great marriages where both people are working together as one, and others are facing an uphill battle in which one spouse is working and the other doesn’t seem to care less.

I hate to be so frank about the subject, but unfortunately it’s a bleak reality for those who are living it.

Do you just stay for the sake of staying? And when is enough, enough? 

One of the most mind boggling things about God is that His power is strong when we are weak.

In other words, He is at work in our deepest moments of despair.

Do you know when Christ was at His strongest? It wasn’t when He was healing the sick, casting out demons or feeding 5,000 hungry people on a mountainside. Those were definitely miraculous signs of His power. But during that moment on the cross when He laid down His own life, He illustrated the greatest power of all.

Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father. – John 10:17-18

Here’s an interesting thought from John Piper about how this relates to us, “Christ died to save us from hell but not to save us from the cross. He died so that we could be glorified, but not to keep us from being crucified. ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily.’  For the Christian the cross of Christ is not merely a past place of substitution. It is also a present place of daily execution” (The Present Power of Christ Crucified).

A crucified life isn’t an easy life, but it’s a powerful one that brings glory to God.

Make no mistake about it. Everyone has a cross to bear, whether their grass is greener or not. Sometimes the struggle is evident, and other times it’s hidden behind a smile or two.

The reason that faith is often likened to a mustard seed is that great things are at work beneath the soil of a crucified life. One drop of a seed could be the start of a boundless crop. We might never see that crop come to fruition, but it doesn’t mean that our labor was ever in vain.

The power of the cross was foolishness to man and it still is today. Why would anyone stay in a loveless marriage? That doesn’t make sense on the surface.

Why would anyone lay down their life of their own free will to be mocked, spit on, scourged, and crucified? Because He knew that His death was the sacrificial step that brought life to mankind.

A sacrificial life isn’t a wasted life. It’s the most loving thing that a person can do for both God and spouse.

Does that mean that you should be spit on, mistreated and mocked? Absolutely not. There are laws in place that protect us from domestic abuse, and in many cases boundaries need to be drawn.

The heart of this matter is that there’s incredible power in sacrificial love. Don’t ever underestimate the power of God or give in to defeat. Don’t let discouragement dictate the way that you love. Keep your eyes on Jesus and you’ll never go wrong.

But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;  That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? – Matthew 5:44-46

You are loved by an almighty God,

Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife

Darlene Schacht
The Time-Warp Wife

Check out my book, available in both print and digital format:
The Virtuous Life of a Christ-Centered Wife: 18 Powerful Lessons for Personal Growth.