In It For the Long-Haul

There's a reason I picked this color font with the pink background. So that it would look "yucky." The reason I wanted it to look that way was to demonstrate a point. The point is that sometimes when we're in a long-term relationship such as in marriage or even with the Lord, we go through some very dry or "yucky" times.
Have you ever felt like there was just nothing to the relationship? No richness, no connection, no nothing? That is was drying up or even disappearing? Dying? Losing something? Or wondering if there ever was anything there at all?
Well, take heart. We go through these thing for reasons. If we don't appreciate the nothingness, we may misinterpret these times and make decisons we'll regret. We may start to plan ways to make the other person, whether it be our spouse or God, to give us what we feel is our due. Afterall, those times are especially grueling and agonizing and lonely and fearful.
Instead we need to trust that God has actually allowed these times and wait to see what He does about it . This is tremendously difficult, as we seek immediate relief and understanding.
Could it be that this is one way He "tries" our faith? We made a commitment a long time ago to both our spouse and God that we would stay with them til the end, no matter what. That, in effect, is what our marriage vows say, and when we came to the Lord we made similar vows to Him. We were all excited at the wedding! Most of us were young and spouted out the vows, not really knowing what we were saying. I mean when we said, "For better or for worse," we didn't realize what the "worse" really meant. "In sickness and in health,"-who would have thought that could have meant a brain tumor or taking care of a paraplegic?
During the course of years, the relationship can have "yucky" periods and this is where the patience and endurance that only the Lord can give comes in. And the protection from fear; fear that if I'm not ________ enough, my spouse will find someone else. Guess what? Either their pledge to stay "till death do us part" is true or not. It's within each individual.
Have you set your course with your spouse and with the Lord that whatever comes, you will be faithful and stay? Even if it's dry or seems like nothing is happening or even if we think it's going downhill? I believe that if we hang on, God will make something out of it. Even if the relationship seems like it's dying, if committed to God, He alone can resurrect it and even make it something new that you've never had before. Afterall, you're in it for the long-haul, arent' you? "Yucky" or not.