Statistics say about 50% (1 in 2) of the marriages that start will not make it. And of those 50% or so that do make it, the vast majority of them report being miserable, lacking intimacy, and are sticking together for the sake of the kids, or provision. So the odds are really stacked against us if we do what everyone else does. I understand that some of us have been so wounded in relationships, and we come to a place and ask the question "Is a good marriage even possible?” Emphatically the answer is yes, it is possible. A great marriage is possible, but honestly it's not likely and not probable, if you do what everybody else is doing. Listen, you will by nature always reproduce the environment that is in you - your internal position will always become your external position. “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” You cannot change the culture around you without first changing the culture within you. Ask these questions: Why is my relationship the same? Why hasn’t my circumstance changed?
As we get ready for the next school season, we recognize that if we want to see our realities shift we must first begin within our homes--our inward realities. Beginning September 9th, our church will be focusing on Marriage: "Inside / Out." We simply believe that when we choose to invest in our inward circumstance, then and only then, will our outward circumstances change.
Recently my wife Brooke, made this observation: So, we just had new carpet installed throughout most of our house. Our house has been in construction-mode since we moved in a month ago, lots of dirt & dust everywhere. I decided to start deep cleaning now that the carpet is down & I started with our master bathroom/bedroom. As I was cleaning I thought how this is the room that people “see” the least. However, most of my life stems from what takes place in this room. We spend most of our time cleaning the rooms that friends can “see.” What if we spent more time cleaning” and “valuing” the most intimate rooms of our house & our inner world? What if we cared more about the “spaces” that no one will ever see and less on the “spaces” that everyone sees?
So with that, I want to challenge single people and married couples to make Sundays a priority this September as we unpack what it means to be transformed from the inside out!