Have you ever looked at a stained glass window? Did you know that a stained glass window with all of its color and different shapes are made from small pieces of glass?

That window is not one solid piece. It was constructed from many small pieces including broken ones to that where shaped and held together by lead and a rigid frame.

The beauty of that stained glass window did not come from being all one color or shape. It was a mixture of carefully treated and handled glass that eventually became a masterpiece.

Our marriages are the same way. We can’t have a stained glass window without some things being broken.

No matter how hard you try, your marriage will not be perfect. You can go to counseling and still you will fall short.

But you see that’s where we can begin to make a shift in how we see our failures in marriage. We can see the failures and successes as little stained glass shapes. But when put all together with hard work and forgiveness, the beauty is undeniable.

Broken can still be beautiful.

Yet let’s be real. Life is not easy. In fact, you have probably had more arguments, disagreements, and fights more than you have had sexual intimacy. Or at least they’re neck and neck.

So what do you do when you feel like there is more brokenness than beauty?

The K.I.S.S. ~ Put it together piece by piece!

Think of that stained glass window. All those little parts. That represents all the situations, circumstances, seasons in your marriage.

In order to find the beauty in your marriage, you have to put it together piece by piece.

1. Own your stuff. Marriage is a two-way street. You must be responsible for your actions, words, thoughts, body language, tone of voice. All of it matters! So own it!!
2. Forgive more. If you are not willing to forgive your spouse, your marriage is in for a very rough ride. If you don’t forgive more, your heart is bitter more.
3. Love when no one is watching. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But when the beholder is not looking, you still must love. That means you don’t act one way to get your way. You love your spouse right where they are at; without the changes you wish for. You love what’s in front of you. And then let God work on the rest.

You are the artist in your marriage. So where do you need to begin to refine what’s in front of you?

Think about all the pieces, the situations, problems, and barriers. What can you do to work on one piece at a time?

Is it a matter of loving your spouse unconditionally? Is it a matter of forgiving more and dropping the score? Or is it a matter of owning your own stuff and starting with the person in the mirror?

When you take one piece of glass at a time, smooth and refine the edges, there you’ll see that broken can still be beautiful!

“Live. Love. IMPACT!!!“