The words flew like arrows, each piercing through the thick air between us, not one missing it’s target, cutting deep into the flesh and tearing what we once held dear. No amount of armor could protect us in this place, our hearts were open, bare, raw, and being ripped to shreds.
Yes we had taken that oath, we had stood before hundreds of our dearest friends and family and promised.
I will always love you.
I will always cherish you.
I will go through the fire with you.
I will always take your side.
And yet today here we stood, battle ready, armed to the teeth with every harsh word and criticism we could muster. Fighting not as one, but against each other.
What was once one was very near to becoming tw0.
Although time (and the counsel of good friends) has helped reveal the things in our hearts that needed to change, and brought to light the errors in our thinking that took us to this awful place, I blame the mission field for our struggles.
Yes, we were not giving one another the attention we deserved.
Yes, we even had somewhere along the way stopped praying together.
Yes, we had allowed all sorts of weeds to grow in the field of our marriage.
But the question I have been asking this past season as we focus our attention together on building back what was lost is this– how did we get here? What was it that distracted us or pulled us apart? Like I said before, I blame the mission field.
Yes, I know all sorts of people are already looking for the comment button to tell me how any marriage can slip, and that no matter where you are, you have to work at it.
Yeah, I get that.
But the truth is most mission fields are like wild fires, burning out of control and consuming everything in their path.
We come in with a passion in our hearts for the lost, but instead often our entire lives are consumed in the flames.
(Know please that I say all this with out any hint of ‘better than thou sinner who liveth in the country you were born in’, I just need to say it like it is today. This gig is tough.)
In a few months we will celebrate our fourth year here in Ethiopia. We won’t likely throw a party, or even talk about it much. We’ve never been big on sentimental dates in our family. But as I sit here reflecting on what we have endured, as I look back to the struggles that our marriage has borne in these years, I feel that a celebration is in order.
Because we are survivors.
You see the conversation above was not the first like it, nor will it likely be the last. We have seen this desolate place in our marriage more times than I can count, and most of them have been since we moved here. The constant frustration of clashing cultures, the feeling of not accomplishing much, the patience it takes to get through one day, it all threatens to rip a marriage from its foundation.
When we first moved here, I thought that it was funny that missionaries were so focused on when their “furlough” would take place or when they were going to get a “vacation,” I scoffed at their petty behavior and dove in head first to the work that we had come for. Soon after, things started to take their toll, our passion began to wane, and then I saw what they were talking about.
Today can I just honestly say what I’ve learned the past four years? Living on the mission field is hard on a marriage.
Brutal, in fact.
Jessie and I have realized that we need to do whatever it takes before it is too late. We are being more intentional about communicating, giving one another the time we need to rest, and trying to slow down the pace of life.
We’re learning that we must work hard to protect our marriages while overseas, and that God has to stay center.
*******
I wrote a book that came out several months ago, and one of the criticisms I have gotten was that I was too honest about the struggles that we bore when moving our family to Ethiopia. The book, ‘No Greater Love’ (Tyndale Press) came out in July and was quickly named the number one hot new release on Amazon. I write about our journey overseas and into our current ministry, placing local widows with local orphans.
This week, I’m donating TEN copies of No Greater Love to the community here at A Life Overseas. To enter, simply click on the rafflecopter giveaway below.
Entries will close Feb. 18, and you’d help us all out by sharing this post and giveaway with your friends. Good Luck!
* You can read more about Levi’s family and their journey bringing orphans and widows together locally at www.bringlove.in
