I was recently asked by my church to share on how God has been at work in my life. It’s only through His strength that I find the boldness to share what He wishes for me to share, as, I know many of us will agree, this is an area of life that is very intimate and difficult to disclose. That area is: marriage. Just as in church, before our congregation, I needed to ask Rob to forgive me; I feel I need to do the same now, as I did not clear this post with him before-hand. However, I do have to say that, after years of being used as an example from the pulpit, I see it this way: It’s my turn. :)
Marriage is a gift from God, a true joy to be experienced on earth but also a union that brings along some of the greatest challenges in life. It has its’ seasons of highs & lows, dry times & rich times, as well as seasons of closeness and distance. For Rob and I, we are leaving behind a season of lows and distance to embrace, with our Lord, this new season of richness and closeness. You see, the last 3 ½ years have been some of the most difficult years our marriage has yet endured. It began with the loss of Rob’s father, Neil McClelland, with 6 days prior to that the loss of my grandfather. A couple who had never been impacted by grief to that level & magnitude was suddenly faced with more grief than they truly knew how to handle! Then, within 6 months, we uprooted from our precious home in Virginia to make the transition to Arlington, Texas & a life from youth ministry to a life of Senior Pastor ministry. Not long after becoming settled in our new home, we experienced the financial stress & challenge of carrying a double mortgage for 11 months, a lot longer than we ever imagined would occur! Life continued to hit with storms through the form of medical emergencies that children can bring, house maintenance, and ultimately ending in our sacrifice of down-sizing and re-locating within Arlington the beginning of this year. Needless to say, our marriage relationship was being hit, battered, bruised, and challenged in difficult ways. I know many of us could share similar stories of challenging difficult times…Rob & I certainly know we are not alone. This is exactly one of the reasons I feel God asked me to be bold and share what He has brought us through, these, our greatest difficulties.
Yes, there have been low times. But, through it all, this has been the richest season of my faith. I have turned to God in all matters. I have looked to my faith in all the challenges and sought His Word every single time I felt I was up against defeat, discouragement, or the feelings of being destitute. Every time, He has faithfully been there, in the most intimate details of my life, making His glory known.
This summer I had the privilege of being a part of our women’s summer study of “Believing God” by Beth Moore. In this study, we were encouraged to take a deeper & closer look at our faith, honestly depicting what our true beliefs were. I asked myself such questions as, “Do I believe God at His Word, and that He can do all things…more specifically, that He can breathe life & restoration back into the heart of my marriage? Or do I doubt His power & His Sovereignty? What is the overall level of my belief?”
Through our summer study, God led me to a verse in 1 Samuel 7:12. Ironically, but not coincidentally, as I know this was a divine reminder, Rob and I have this verse painted on our own Ebenezer stone in our bedroom. It was a gift given to us by dear friends in Virginia prior to our move to Texas. I didn’t realize it at the time the gift was given, but I have come to learn that Ebenezer means “stone of help.” 1 Samuel 7:12 reminds us that our Ebenezer stone can be our tangible reminder of how “Thus far has the Lord helped us.”
Needless to say, I am reminded daily through our Ebenezer stone & this verse, how the Lord has helped, restored, and transformed us. Rob and I have both experienced transformation in our lives, and our marriage is entering into a new season of richness in our Lord because we have allowed Him to be at work transforming, refining, and growing us…closer to Him, but also closer to one another. No, we don’t have everything figured out, and we will definitely still have those “not so pretty” moments, but we have persevered and are enjoying the blessings God has to offer when we, His people, are obedient, subservient, and willing to surrender our hearts to Him.
And, now we get to enter into a new season, celebrating the gift of new life come May, 2010. What better blessing can a marriage receive from the Lord than the blessing of new life?
My name is Stacy McClelland and this is my real story.
