Lesson 58

What If I Have Put My Marriage On A Pedestal Above God?

Kristi thought she had her priorities straight. She loved the Lord and wanted to be a good witness for Him in the world, but He seemed far away at times and she was busy trying to make sure she was taking good care of her husband and marriage. She knew what the Bible said about priorities: God first, husband second, and then other people and activities after that.

Over time, it seemed Kristi was caught up in managing the household, the importance of appearances in the church and community, and the happiness level within the marriage. “I wanted a truly Christian marriage, but I also wanted our lives and family to be ‘role models’ as a witness to others. Over time, my relationship with my husband became more important to me than my relationship with God. When I learned of his affairs and then later his pornography use, I felt betrayed and destroyed. It was my perception that if somehow I had done things better or been a more attractive woman to him, he would not have carried on his secret life. I had to recognize that I had made my marriage an idol.”

Kristi asked Jesus to forgive her for placing anything above Him and she began to see her role in marriage in a whole new way. Together she and her husband placed spiritual matters front and center in their individual lives and their married life. “There were still some bumpy roads we had to travel, but we did it together in a God-honoring way.”