Cortni Marrazzo

When two people decide to share their lives in marriage, no matter how much they love each other, there will be some friction.

Marriage between a man and a woman is a beautiful picture that reflects the relationship between Christ and the Church. It can also be one of the most powerful ways that God can show us what it’s like to be on the other side of ourselves, especially when we experience friction and disagreements with our spouse.

The highs of marriage can help us to experience the joy and connection that God loves feeling towards us and helps us to get to know his heart for his people even deeper. The lows of marriage can help us get to know God’s heart towards us too—his great patience and mercy, even when we’re being impossible!

It’s inevitable that when two imperfect humans are around each other as much as married couples are, sparks will fly. And not always the good kind.

But disagreements, irritation, and even anger at our spouse don’t have to be relationship killers. When we are open to God’s leading in our hearts through our marriage relationship, He can (and will) use those times of conflict to help us grow and become more like Him.

Proverbs 27:17 tells us that “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” That process might not always be a pleasant one with our spouses, but with God’s guidance, it can be beautiful.

Here are a few ways God can help us grow when we get irritated or mad at our spouse.

Have you ever found yourself in a waiting season? A time where you’re waiting for change, hoping for something new, or counting down the days?

There are so many circumstances that become waiting seasons: hoping to get married or pregnant (or counting the days until your wedding or birth of a child), waiting to graduate, looking for a job, or even praying for relief from a hard season of life.

The good news is, God wants to use those seasons to prepare you for the things you’re waiting for, as well as things you don’t even know are coming.

I’ve recently found myself in a waiting season that is bringing with it a lot of impending changes. We bought a new house, and we’re preparing to move for the first time in 12 years. It will be the first time my kids have ever moved. We’ll be living in a new neighborhood, my kids will be going to a new school, and my husband will be starting a new job.

But as of right now, we are just waiting for it all to happen. Waiting for our new house to finish being built, waiting for my husband to finish out his current job, and waiting for a new school year to start.

All the impending changes in my life have stirred up some anxiety in my soul.

And as I’ve sought God about it, I’ve sensed that He is wanting to use this waiting time to prepare me for the changes coming my way. The changes in my life are good, but they are all new to me; and I know I need God’s help to walk strong in this next season.

Here are seven ways that God uses waiting seasons to prepare you for your next season:

Photo Credit: ©Getty/Sakorn Sukkasemsakorn

The COVID-19 pandemic is eliciting a lot of different emotions and reactions for many people, and one of the most common is fear. Fear of catching the virus, fear of dying or having a family member die, fear of losing a job, fear of being able to pay bills, and fear of what the future will look like.

A common response I’ve seen from Christians who find themselves facing very real fears lately is the idea that as Christans, we shouldn’t be scared. Beyond that, there are people who believe that if they are scared, then that means they don’t have enough faith and that they are in sin. After all, the Bible tells us multiple times to not fear, so wouldn’t it be disobedience if we do fear?

While the Bible does encourage us many times to not fear, it doesn’t mean that being scared is a sin. Fear is an emotion that is given to us by God. In its most primal form, it’s meant to protect us from danger and give us the energy and motivation to get out of harm’s way or avoid a catastrophe. Much like anger, the presence of fear itself is not sin, but it can lead to sinful behavior if we are not careful. 

Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life. Ephesians 4:26-27 MSG

Fear is not a pleasurable emotion, and if given the choice, most of us would choose to avoid it. But fear is not something we can instantly turn off, thus it often creates an internal struggle. So when we find ourselves fearful, how can we respond in a way that honors God and doesn’t give Satan a foothold in our lives?

Here are 5 ways how.

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As a wide-eyed, newly-committed Christian at 17, I felt a call of leadership on my life. While I didn’t know exactly what that would look like, I felt excitement and anticipation for the future. 

Looking back almost 20 years now, I see how every struggle and unexpected circumstance actually shaped my leadership journey. Yet, in the midst of those challenges, I often found myself discouraged. It felt like they were steering me away from the call I felt God had placed on my life. 

When I sit and study the Scriptures, I find that I’m not alone in facing intense struggles and the discouragement that can easily follow. There are so many people in the Bible that have gone through the same process. As I was recently reading through the book of Exodus, I was inspired by Bible story of Moses. Moses' life and culture may have looked a lot different from mine, but here are 10 ways Moses’ journey to leadership is relatable:

Photo Credit: GettyImages/kevron2001