Dare to love the frostbitten rose

The problem:

A few years back a very special thing occurred that took the Christian world by storm. The lord God decided to use a couple of his servants to bring a much needed answer to this world. The answer he sent was in my opinion full of the kind of wisdom which can only come from our Father in Heaven. Once in a while I believe the Father looks down and sees a great need, he hears the cries of his people, and he is moved with great compassion. I believe this to be the case as he revealed his ancient wisdom to married couples across America.

The statistics on the breakdown of the American family and the bond of marriage in America are astonishing. The word divorce is well known among children even at the youngest ages. Couples, even in the Christian church, are choosing divorce as the answer to their problems rather than seeking Gods wisdom. Americans have grown so used to seeing divorce and hearing about divorce that we have waxed cold on this painful and devastating issue.

Before I speak to the issue of this subject and reveal the answer which I believe is from almighty God; let me qualify myself in this matter. I am a divorced man, and I have lived through the pain of divorce first hand. I can honestly say that I thought, at the time, that it was my only choice. I was told by so many people that the kids would be fine; after all, they are resilient. I was told I had tried my best and it would be ok, God would forgive me and he would understand. God will forgive us for anything, it is true, he says in his word our sins are thrown into the sea of forgetfulness.

If I had it too do all over again, I would do anything to save my marriage; I learned the hard lessons in life about the pain and anguish of divorce. I learned that even a divorce which is justified and makes great sense hurts. I must clarify here that the Bible does speak to issues where a divorce is justified; abuse and issues of addiction and infidelity are some of those to be sure. I am not a theologian and do not wish to address those issues; I simply want to save those who DO have a chance from making a horrible mistake.

An Answer from God:

I will first point out that I spent thousands of dollars in counseling as well as receiving council from pastors at my church, it was to no avail. I found myself at the end and after thousands of prayers I was out of answers. My wife and I had been separated for about two years at the time when she called me one day and said there was a movie she wanted us to go see. I agreed to go and we went to the theater and watched “Fire proof.” I had no knowledge of Sherwood Baptist Church at the time or the other movies these two great men of God had created (Alex and Stephen Kendrick). I remember relating so very much to the theme of this movie, and the story line was very familiar. It during this movie I was introduced to “The Love Dare.”

I went home and bought the book and immediately began to use its principles and lessons in my marriage. I worked every day to follow the forty day dare and I was able to see my own faults and my inability to love as clear as a mountain stream. The sheer wisdom found in that little book is profound and is the kind of wisdom the world cannot understand. Each day I saw how to forget myself and focus on my wife denying myself and my ego anything in return. I truly found a way to love another person the way God himself asks us to love them. I believe with all my heart that this book and these two men are inspired by the Lord. I also believe that thousands of marriages could be saved if couples could use this book and take the dare. I began to wonder how much money couples have spent on counseling when this little book may have been the only answer they needed.

I want to be able to say that everything worked out in the end, but for my marriage, they did not. I can only say that the marriage had a problem that was biblically justified to end in divorce. I can testify with all my heart that even thou our marriage had been broken beyond repair; the time I spent in “the love dare” allowed me to give my current wife the kind of love that only God himself can teach us to give. My prayers are truly with those who are hurting and confused, please give this book a try, and please take the dare!