MARRIAGE
NAVIGATING MARRIAGE WITH ILLNESS CAN BE DARK AND LONELY.
Marriage with illness, pain, or disability can be difficult, but it can also be an opportunity to learn patience, forgiveness, and sacrifice – gifts to savor and celebrate.
BLOG POSTS
Marriage is challenging at the best of times; adding chronic illness, mental illness, or chronic pain brings a whole new level of complication to consider and work through. There are no easy answers. Chronic illness affects each person differently and will in turn affect each marriage in unique ways. Our prayer is that these heartfelt blog posts will offer encouragement for both you and your spouse.
To Love Well is to Remain Awake to Beauty
She forgets that to love well is to remain awake to beauty, though most of the time, she does try to be ready. She is vigilant.
Making Space for Love to Grow Afresh
Depression stunts curiosity and robs us of the continued growth that stokes the embers back into flame. Stepping away from the ordinary moments of my life allowed me to miss them, to miss my husband. When I returned home, I saw him with new eyes –and I was able to love him better.
Praying Together when your Loved One has Depression
They began to pray together again — because she asked him to. The darkness didn’t feel quite so lonely anymore When you pray with someone, Jesus comes and stands in the gap between you and joins his heart with both of yours.
I TAKE YOU IN SICKNESS & IN HEALTH: Marriage with Chronic Illness
Cindee Snider Re
Rejuvenate, revitalize, rekindle, and reconnect with this insightful and enriching 10-chapter study (designed just for couples) that offers you and your spouse a safe place to grieve, heal, grow, dream together, and thrive as one – in sickness and in health.
This Momentary Marriage: A Parable of Permanence
John Piper et al.
Discover the Biblical meaning of marriage over its emotion, exhorting couples to keep their covenant as a display of Christ’s covenant-keeping love for the church. Lifting the church’s low view of marriage to something infinitely greater – a vision of Jesus’s unswerving allegiance to and affection for his bride. This book unpacks the Biblical vision, its unexpected contours, and its weighty implications.
Hope Heals: A True Story of Overwhelming Loss and an Overcoming Love
Katherine Wolf et al.
When all seems lost, where can hope be found? Katherine suffered a massive brain stem stroke without warning. Miraculously, Jay came home in time and called for help. Katherine was rushed into surgery, though her chance of survival was slim. Through 40 days on life support and nearly 2 years in full-time brain rehab, Katherine gradually recovered. Years later, they are stewarding their story of suffering, restoration, and Christ-centered hope through their ministry Hope Heals.
Love at First Fight
Carey and Dena Dyer
If you find that the once endearing, charming, and distinct qualities that attracted you to your spouse are now a source of stress and conflict, this book may be helpful. In sharing humorous, personal stories from both male and female perspectives, the Dyers guide you in discovering that a fun, resilient, fulfilling marriage can be realized through hard work, forgiveness, God’s grace, and a sense of humor. Fifty-two conversational meditations, including practical action steps to develop a deeper connection with your spouse, will inform and delight you both.
Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy?
Gary Thomas
Your marriage is more than a sacred covenant with another person. It is a spiritual discipline designed to help you know God better, trust him more fully, and love him more deeply. What if God’s primary intent for your marriage isn’t to make you happy…but holy?
The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God
Timothy Keller
Timothy Keller, with insights from Kathy, his wife of forty-three years years, shows marriage to be a glorious relationship that is also misunderstood and mysterious. Discover insights and “how to” for having a successful marriage.
The Meaning of Marriage: A Couple's Devotional: A Year of Daily Devotions
Timothy Keller
In this 365-day devotional, Tim and his wife of forty-three years, Kathy, share powerful instructions on how to have a successful marriage. Find stories, daily scriptures, and prayer prompts that will inspire anyone who wants to know God and love more deeply in this life.
Suffer Strong: How to Survive Anything by Redefining Everything
Katherine Wolf
Is it possible to embrace suffering as a privilege, rather than a punishment? Readers will find the bold invitation to trust a known God with an unknown future, as well as practical insights into surviving anything by redefining how we think about everything.
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ARTICLES
Chronic Illness in Marriage: There’s a Purpose for the Pain
“There’s a purpose for our pain. Our perishing bodies are being used for His glory.” Jolene Engle
Spousal Caregivers: When Chronic Illness Crashes into Your Marriage
“When Thomas* and Carina* returned from their honeymoon in 1997, Carina was placed on long-term disability from work due to a string of illnesses – including lupus, fibromyalgia, migraines, arthritis and heart problems….What followed were years of chronic physical pain, sometimes keeping Carina bound to her bed day in and day out. Thomas often cooks, cleans, cares for their two young boys, does the laundry, buys groceries and serves as Carina’s primary caregiver. ‘I had the feeling of helplessness when I realized that her conditions simply wouldn’t go away,’ he recalls.” Focus on the Family Canada
How to Get Your Focus Back on Your Marriage
“Despite the distractions, difficulties, and sicknesses there are tangible things that we all can do to get our focus back on our marriage and make it strong and to help it thrive.” Tricia, Abounding in Hope with Lyme
Marriage Blessings Through Chronic Illness
“When we married in 2002, I already had a chronic illness. At that time, I was still able to attend college, and after graduating I was able to work a part-time job for a while. However, less than two years after getting married, my health deteriorated to the point that I became disabled and homebound.” Rachel Lundy
When Chronic Illness Joins Your Marriage
“It can be so easy to focus on our health and lose the focus on our relationship. Marriage is hard work – with or without a chronic illness. But anything worthwhile is worth the work involved.” Kim, GraceIsSufficient.com
WEBSITES
FIERCE MARRIAGE is a call for married couples to put God first and to love with a fierce tenacity that never gives up and never gives in. Founded to point couples to Christ and to commission marriages for the Gospel, founders Ryan and Selena Frederick offer hope and practical help for common struggles, including communication problems, sexual frustration, financial tension, screen-time disconnection, and unrealistic expectations.
IMAGE GALLERY
Maintaining a healthy marriage
“Maintaining a healthy marriage is a sacrificial pursuit and a life-long journey.” Cindee Snider Re
The more you love God
“The more you love God, the more capacity you will have to truly love each other.” Dave Willis
Marriage – Differences
“In marriage relationships, differences can actually be part of your sanctification. God wants to use your union, even with all its speed bumps, to make you both more like him.” Dena Dyer
How does chronic illness affect the way you communicate with your spouse?
“How does chronic illness affect the way you communicate with your spouse?” Cindee Snider Re
INTERVIEWS AND PODCASTS
CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF LIVING WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS
CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF MARRIAGE WITH CHRONIC ILLNESS
