Love Never Fails Stories

Sharon

For Better Or For Worse

I want to take the time out to share a part of my life;  MY MARRIAGE with you all.  You know when you get married it means a lot.  It is “surely” for better or for worse, and that is putting it mildly.  When we take those vows, they mean something.  We make a COVENANT with God … till death do us part.     Well, about 3 yrs. into my marriage, I got sick.  We all get sick at one time or another.  Right?  Anyway, It started out with my knee.  Then the pain continued to get worse.  I went to see the knee Dr. and I ended up getting injections in my knee.  That worked for awhile.  Then the pain moved to my back.  I was still holding down my job by the Grace of God.  By this time, the pain was excruciating and I started to miss days from work because I worked standing on my feet all day.  My husband began to start acting funny.  I tried not to believe what I saw or even what I felt.  I’m talking about my husband; the other part of me.  We are two as one; I thought.     He made me feel like an outsider.  Well, you guessed it.  I had to end up quitting the job.  I just couldn’t take it anymore.  My husband began to treat me as if all I was worth was a paycheck, and it was part-time; every two weeks.  He started talking about me to the kids. (My stepchildren)  I thought they were OUR children.  After all, we were married.  I thought we were a family.  I hurt way deep down inside.  I cried, never wanting anyone to see me.  I was in so much pain.  BUT GOD stood right by my side.  He Never left me.     I was frustrated because I couldn’t get down on my knees to pray.  Of course, I prayed anyway.  I had to ask God to fix my heart, because even though I hurt way down on the inside, I still couldn’t let the anger get the best of me.  I knew it would turn into bitterness.  I had to REPENT!  God has told us  not to hold on to anger, but it was hard.  I kept on loving my husband, in spite of.  Taking real good care of him and the kids who were looking at me some type of way because of him.  Out of everything I went through I still had my JOY!  See, it’s a difference between Joy and happiness.  GOD IS MY STRENGTH!  He kept me going.  He’s been good to me.  I did what I was suppose to do.  Did I mention that it was HARD?  God touched my husband’s heart and I began to see a change in him.  Nobody But God!!!     My husband had been so mean to me, and treated me like I didn’t even matter.  But that was THEN, and this is NOW.Praise God!  (Obedience Is Better Than Sacrifice!)  “ONLY BY THE GRACE OF GOD!”   (GOD IS LOVE)

SHARON

Love Never Fails Stories

Steve & Mary Reiter

In Sickness and in Health

Mary and I met way back in high school in Jamaica, New York at a Catholic School dance; she was a pretty girl wearing a parochial school skirt and button down shirt with blond hair and I was attempting to be what we called a love child – long hair, Nehru shirt, black pants and Beatle boots. We could not have been further apart in background in every way. Yet, we fell in love and decided while still 16 and 15 that someday we would get married.

Yet things change, we wed in 1971 while I was still in the Army; then went through many changes – you know from 16 – 25 there are so many changes all go through. My priorities love and values changed, and not just once. Mary always had Christ in her life, I mock all religion. One day in the midst of a bitter argument, Mary ran into the bedroom, sat on the bed in tears and took up the only bible in our home. When I blew into the room seeing this scene, I picked up the bible threw it through the window of our 6^th story bedroom and screamed next time “it won’t be the bible going through the window”.

Not many years later, through her prayers and so many others reaching out to me in Christ’s love, I accepted the promise of salvation (Romans 10:8-10). Life would never be the same and the early love of a teen, was matured with a love that would last until we went home to be with the Father.

Last February 7^th I came home from Dallas to find Mary, now 65 curled up in a fetal position crying out in pain. We brought her to the doctor who immediately sent her to the local hospital for testing. The results of a MRI showed a large blood clot on her liver. The next 3-4 days were touch and go, not knowing if Mary would ever come home again. Crying out to the Lord along with so many others who loved us, He heard our voice and through the wisdom of the Holy Spirit we were able to start the process of healing – today that clot has been resolved. All the things the world tells men are important faded as my best friend was on the brink of eternity. These past 11 months, once again my priority shifted as I recognized all the money and power in the corporate world would not extend Mary’s life one day and the travel which consumed my career causing me to be separate from her, under the guise of taking care of the family was just a ruse.

Today, my love for Mary Reiter is greater than ever before, a love grounded in the knowledge that she and I with Christ are a 3 strand bond that can not be broken. The words we uttered way back at our wedding to take each other for worse, poorer and sickness became evident as I committed to place her in the spot the Lord says she needs to occupy.

In Him;

Steve

Love Never Fails Stories

Jeffery & Anita Menifee

In sickness and in health as long as we both shall live were words I recited during the ceremony conducted by my father almost 34 years ago. Never did I ever think I would have to live out those words in this lifetime. February 4 1999 was one of the scariest days in my life. Just the day before my husband advised me that he had been unfaithful. Words I thought I would never hear.

Although we had talked about the situation and decided to give counseling a try, the next morning I went to the store before waking the kids for school only to come home and find him in a pool if blood where he had shot himself. He was still alive when I found him, as I tried to stop the bleeding and call 911. Arriving at the hospital, doctors advised me there was nothing they could do, the first 24 hours were critical and even if he did live he would be a vegetable. But we continued to pray. After 2 brain surgeries, God gave him/us a second chance. Having to relearn walking, talking even swallowing was a major task for him. But God wouldn’t let me walk away. We continued to pray. Since then what was once a death sentence God turned into a  life miracle. We’ve had many obstacles to overcome but Our God has been faithful to bring us through many bouts of sickness and other struggles of which none have been easy. God has kept us together and we still give him honor and praise for being not only our Savior but our Healer and our Keeper. 

Love Never Fails Stories

John & Janice Upton

In Sickness and in Health

In Jesus Name we press on when we as wives find ourselves on the road of sickness with our spouses. I made a vow to the Lord and my husband before witnesses at our wedding that it is for better or worse in sickness and health until death separates us. When I first heard of this essay I said to myself I am too deep in this struggle to talk about it. I won’t have a testimony until I am through it. Then the Lord reminded me that I overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of my testimony.. Rev.12:11

I am reminded also that I am to thank God in the midst of the battle as an act of obedience to Him who is in charge of every detail of my life and my husband. He has told me to rejoice in everything and to pray all the time about what concerns me and my husband. I Thess. 5:16-18 As my husband faces the possibility of 28 radiation treatments for his prostate cancer that has become aggressive and spread into his pelvic area and lymph nodes and he also has to deal with blindness in one eye and not much sight in the other and as he faces mental cognitive decline that is getting worse God says to me I am to rejoice and be thankful in the Lord not necessarily in the circumstances. There is so much to rejoice and thank  the Lord for, the first being that our names are written in heaven because of His great sacrifice for my husband and I on Calvary. That is just the beginning of the many wonderful things we can praise God for during this time of my husband’s sickness. He is our Good Shepherd who takes care of His sheep and we will not want for anything. At this time the path is not easy to walk on but He, the Good Shepherd, leads me and my husband on paths of righteousness for His name sake. Psalm 23

Love Never Fails Stories

John & Regina Word

In Sickness and in Health

Married in December 1969.

Our marriage has had many seasons; the good, the bad, the indifferences that most marriages have. In 1972 our 1st daughter was born. During delivery, she began having difficulty breathing, causing me to have an emergency c-section. Our baby was hospitalized 17 days before coming home to us. She grew up to live a healthy normal life. Several years later I began having females problems, resulting in a major surgery. While recovering from surgery I began having unbearable headaches. Testing found that I had fluid on my brain and I was diagnosed with a psuedo brain tumor. I was hospitalized for six weeks and released with instructions to get much rest and do not get pregnant for a while because pregnancy would put too much stress on my body and the large amount of medication I was taking may have a negative effect on the baby. 3 months later I was pregnant. I was advised by the OB/GYN to have an abortion because of the high risk pregnancy. My husband and I prayed and God gave us the assurance that he would see us through this; plus my neurologist was a believer and agreed to work with us through the 9 months. God saw us through and 9 months later we had a beautiful healthy baby girl. Both of our daughters are in their 40s and living with no physical aliments resulting from the difficulties experience during pregnancy.

In 1997 I had a cerebral hemorrhage/stroke while directing choir at church that left me flaccid on the left side. After much therapy I recovered about 80%. I was left with decreased fine motor coordination in my left hand and difficulty controlling my voice. Since the stroke, I have had several orthopedic surgeries to include ankle arthroscopy (where it was found that I had been walking on a 3 hairline fractures for a year-since the stroke),  back surgery, both knees replaced, both hips replaced, and a shoulder replacement. In between my orthopedic surgeries, my husband and I fought and won battles with prostate and breast cancer respectively. I currently have lymphedema which can cause great difficulty with my daily activities…BUT GOD!!! Over the years, my husband, John, has been my caregiver, transporter to therapy and doctor visits, homemaker, cook…all without complaining. God has given him the strength and joy in caring for me. Without the love, grace and mercy of God, our marriage would never have made it. John has been the epitomy of our marriage vows to love, to cherish through sickness and in health.

I have had 23 years of continuous pain and/or discomfort. We have found that God’s love and provision, trusting His promise to NEVER leave or forsake us is true!!

Love Never Fails Stories

Carlos & Fernise Mann

It’s what we’re talking about all week on Mornings with Tabi. Our friends Carlos and Frenise from Covenant Keypers joined us today to give a snapshot of what 21 years of marriage have looked like with a major financial crisis. Listen to this powerful and encouraging testimony of how God always provides! #ForRicherForPoorer #MoodyRadioChattanooga

Love Never Fails Stories

Anthony & Carrie Griggs

It’s what we’re talking about all week on Mornings with Tabi and this morning our friends, Carrie and Anthony, shared a powerful testimony of God’s faithfulness. After two cancer diagnoses, Carrie went through a dark season of depression including a suicide attempt. Listen below for their powerful story of redemption and healing! #MoodyRadioChattanooga