No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
1 Corinthians 10:13 ESV
Sometimes it can feel like we have the only marriage that’s struggling. The façade others project about their marriages can lead us to think something is wrong with ours if we’re struggling. They always seem to be happy in their photos…look at the sweet things her husband does…his wife never complains. Looking at other people’s marriages from the outside can make us feel like there is something wrong on the inside of our marriage. We fight. He’s harsh. She’s demanding. Other marriages don’t struggle like ours. These thoughts are dangerous because they tempt us to think we must have made a mistake. Our marriage is in trouble. We need to get out.
The struggle is real…for all of us. Every union that God has allowed struggles. Every marriage has its own set of trials, and while the specific trials may not necessarily look the same from marriage to marriage, we are all enduring the struggle of refinement living in close proximity with another person. It’s part of His plan.
We are reminded in this passage that every trial and temptation we will face is “common to man.” You might feel as if nobody has ever gone through what you’re going through, nobody has felt this pain, or nobody understands. You may feel that your trial or your sin is shameful or embarrassing and that others would pass unkind judgement on you if they knew. But all that thinking is just false. The enemy tries to paint your difficulties as unique in order to make you falter. Don’t fall for it. Those thoughts are lies that will lead you to isolation, increase your anxiety, and walk you down a path of sinful thinking.
Your trials are common to man; He is walking you through the same struggles that many other marriages have endured. More often than we realize, God has intentionally placed people who have gone through similar trials very near to us to provide a way through the trial. When we open up about where God has us, when we become transparent about the trials or the sin issues in our hearts, we often find others who have walked similar paths sitting in our presence. That’s God.
The enemy wants to keep you alone. He wants to keep your mouth shut because he knows you will not be encouraged and your marriage will falter if you stay in your trial alone. God’s plan is that you get with people of God and open your mouth. His plan is that we would help one another walk these difficult paths. He wants us to share how He has opened our eyes to our blindness and our sin, how He has softened our heart, and how He has taught us to love sacrificially. He wants us to grab another’s hand, walk each other on the path through the trial, and He wants us to share His wisdom—He wants every marriage restored and bearing fruit. You are not in this alone.
Press on ~ you are loved 💗
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