Psalm 46
Today is my 22nd wedding anniversary! (Happy anniversary, William!) In a culture where the divorce rate is about 50%, I’ve been asked, “What is your secret?” I say, don’t ask me! We’re still working on it. Truth is, there is no magic, no secret formula. Relationships are complicated and what works for one couple might not work for another.
If you really want a place to start, I suggest starting with yourself. Any good relationship, marriage or otherwise, involves people who take heed of their own lives, this most precious of gifts. To be good partners in any relationship, we must look inward and develop those attributes in ourselves that make us good companions.
So how do we do that? You can begin by letting go of fear. Fear holds us back in a whole lot of areas of life, relationships included – fear of commitment, fear of rejection, fear of abandonment, fear of you name it. The psalmist says to turn our fears over to God because God is our refuge and strength. God provides the foundation we need to be prepared for whatever life brings. Replacing fear with trust, you can move forward with confidence that you will be okay no matter what happens. And a “you” like that has the capacity to contribute great things to and gain real fulfillment from relationships.
Eleanor Nurney