If cookies are in the jar, I will eat them. If ice cream is in the freezer, I will get a scoop or two. If potato chips are in the pantry, they won’t last long. I know myself well enough to know these things should not be available for the weak moments when my taste buds try to take control.

Lots of people (including me) are not fans of physical exercise, but when you read about the benefits of a regular habit of exercise and the consequence of not exercising, you don’t have to be smart to figure out that exercise is essential to good health and wellbeing… whether you like it or not. The same is true of affliction. Affliction is not something anyone desires, but that does not mean we don’t need it. The truth is, affliction is a God-appointed tool to aid in the maturation of believers. Without it, vital nutrients are missing for the proper development of the fruit we are called to bear (Jn 15:8).

Though you might not like the sound of this, marriage and problems go together. Living and problems go together, so it shouldn’t surprise you that marriage is not exempt from struggle. A simple adage to remember is: Big God, Small Problems. Big Problems, Small God. Which end of the telescope are you looking through? Certainly this is an oversimplification, but the basic principle is a good one to remember. The bigger your understanding of God is, the smaller your problems will seem. The more you focus on your problems, the harder it is to see God and he seems small or weak.

“The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, to declare that the Lord is upright; he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” ‭‭Psalm‬ ‭92‬:‭12‬-‭15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

I’m finally there. Retired. Sort of… I plan to keep counseling part-time for the foreseeable future, but I don’t have a boss and a position with requirements on me any longer. I’ve carried that weight faithfully for 50 years. Now it’s time for something different.