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I tightened my grip on the bouquet as my brother reached the microphone. I expected an older brother’s perspective on how Flaviu and I met or the hard journey we had walked to reach this point. Instead, I got a reality check:
You’re saying “yes” to each other today, but let me tell you: that’s not enough. For the rest of your lives, every morning you wake up you need to look at each other and say “yes” all over again. Every day is a continual “yes” to God and to this person you are marrying, on the easy days but especially on the hard days.
The romance novels I had read growing up told me that once we reached the altar, my Prince Charming and I would waltz into our happily-ever-after. I had heard that marriage was hard work but I didn’t realize that our choices every day would either bring us closer together or tear us apart.
Turns out, many women walk into marriage completely unprepared.
I Just Need to Meet Mr. Right
This month on OneThingAlone.com, we’re talking about how real love stories can help build better marriages, and we’re trading our romance novels for the real deal.
And friends, Juana’s story is the real deal.
A vibrant twenty-year-old, Juana Mikels had a promising career, a handsome husband, a new home, dream vacations, and plenty of money.
But as the newlywed glow faded, Juana discovered that being married wasn’t what she thought it would be, and it certainly didn’t make her happy. To her shock, her husband couldn’t read her mind and didn’t care to try. Growing increasingly disillusioned, Juana made the radical decision to leave her husband, house, and friends behind and start over.
Tweet ThisIt’s the type of disillusionment brought on by a culture satiated with movies, songs, and magazine articles that tell us we just need to meet the right person and everything will fall into place. Boy meets girl, sparks fly, they get over a few hurdles, and the story ends just as they realize they’re perfect for each other. Happily every after, right?
What If I Married the Wrong Man?
Turns out, the media’s got it all wrong. The staggering divorce rates show us that a happy marriage takes more than a whirlwind romance at its inception in order to survive the ups and downs of real life.
But Juana was convinced that she simply had to find “Mr. Right” and she would be happy, so she left her husband in search of a better future. In the process, God called her to Himself, and in the tender way only He has, He began breaking down the walls that she had built to protect herself from hurt.
As she grew in her desire to please God, God rekindled her longing to be reconciled with her husband. However, her husband now wanted nothing to do with her, and it was Juana’s turn to be shut out from her spouse’s heart. What a painful turn of events.
How God Makes Your Husband Mr. Right for You
Juana candidly shares how God makes beautiful mosaics out of broken pieces, as she learned to trust God and let Him do what He wanted with her marriage–whether or not that meant her marriage would be restored.
If you’ve ever felt like you’ve married the wrong man, please hear this powerful word of grace and truth: If you’ve married him, he is the man God intends for you to love and grow in beautiful intimacy together. Marriage is not as easy as romance novels portray it to be, but it is incredibly rewarding when given to God as a sacrifice.
Real love stories, like Juana’s, show us the dangers of saying “no” to our spouse and pursuing our own fantasies, but they also show us the reward of saying “yes” and allowing God to use marriage to refine us. Real life beats fiction. Amen?
Juana Mikels wrote her own story of how God saved her marriage along with practical teaching on faith and marriage written out of her own failure, pointing us all to Jesus Christ who has the power to change lives and marriages. You can get a copy here here or on Kindle here.
Featured Resources*
Pick up a copy of Juana’s love story and the companion study guide to strengthen your marriage. I got a complimentary copy of the book to review, and I really enjoyed it!
And if you’re looking for a creative way to remember why you married your man in the first place, check out this cute idea from the Dating Divas!
*This post contains my affiliate links, which means a portion of your purchase supports OneThingAlone.com at no additional cost to you. Thank you for helping spread encouragement to women everywhere! I couldn’t do this ministry without you.