Dr Greg Popcak - Praying for (and With) Your Spouse: The Way to Deeper Love

The way to Deeper Love

Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak

Copyright 2018 Greg and Lisa Popcak

All rights reserved.

Published by The Word Among Us Press

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ISBN: 978-1-59325-331-8

eISBN: 978-1-59325-506-0

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Excerpts from the English translation of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for use in the United States of America, Second Edition, copyright 1997, United States Catholic ConferenceLibreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission

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Contents

Part One

Tapping into the Spiritual Power of Your Marriage

CHAPTER ONE

The Spiritual Power of Marriage

M arriage is filled with a million grace-filled moments that connect us to God, open our hearts in surprising ways, and challenge and transform us. What grace-filled moments are hidden in plain sight in your marriage? To give you an idea of what we mean, here are a few examples of the stories we have collected over the years from couples for whom, time and again, God used the spiritual power of their marriage to reveal his love and grace in wonderful and surprising ways.

The other day, Karen looked at me in that way she does. I saw myself in her eyes, and I felt so grateful. I thought to myself, There has to be a God, because no one could ever love me the way she does if there wasnt.

When I was growing up, my family was pretty awful. I was afraid to get married for a long time, because I didnt want to trust my heart to someone who could hurt me like that ever again. But Jim is like no other man Ive ever met. Ive never felt so safe and cared for by anyone. He made it possible for me to open up in ways I never thought Id be able to. God is using my marriage to bring about all kinds of healing in my heart. I mean, it isnt always easy, but I cant think of a moment Im not grateful.

Ive always been kind of a worrywart. I tend to panic over all the unexpected stuffunexpected bills, sickness, unpleasant newsbig, little, it doesnt matter. As you can imagine, Im anxious a lot of the time, and its taken real work to get a handle on it. But over the twenty years Ken and I have been together, I can see how much more peaceful I am than when we first got married. Honestly, Im like a different person compared to how I was then. I look back at all the things weve been through togetherall the times I thought, This is it. This is where it all comes crashing down. And I see how God has gotten us through so much. Im still more nervous than Id like, but I have a hard time getting really worked up these days, like I used to, because I see how faithful God has been over the years, and I know that I just have to trust him. God has used my marriage to help me experience a peace I never thought Id have.

When Jack and I had our first child, God touched my heart in such a powerful way. I felt so full of love for my daughter, and it dawned on me that as much as I love my child, God loves me so much more. Its hard to even imagine, but as I looked at her little face, I was so filled up with love. It was probably the first time I really feltto that degreehow much God must love me. It took my relationship with God to a whole new level.

When Elizabeth got cancer, I was so angry. I was mad at God for not protecting her, at myself for working so hard all those years and missing out on the healthy times, at her for getting sick when I was finally feeling like maybe I could step away from work enough to start enjoying our life together a little more. All my life, I guess I was what you might call a Sunday Christian. Id go to church with Elizabeth on the weekend, if I didnt have something better to do, but I never thought much about God during the week. But through that whole horrible year, that all changed. Every chance I got, I begged God for another chance to be the man I should have been all along.

I wouldnt wish her diagnosis on anyone, but God used it to change me, as well as our marriage, in some amazing ways. Everything shifted. He refocused me on loving her, on being there for her in ways I never had the courage to be there for her before. Thanks be to God, shes been in remission for a couple of years now, and her health looks good, but were both totally different people. God is the center of our marriage now, and I cant tell you what a difference hes made in our hearts and in our home. It breaks my heart to hear Elizabeth say that getting here was worth all the suffering she endured. I wish it didnt take all that. But I know shes right, and were both so grateful to God.

Can you think of moments when God has touched your heart through your marriage? Note some of these times here:

God of the Everyday

Sometimes we experience Gods grace because of our mate, and sometimes, even in the best of marriages, we experience Gods grace in spite of our mate. But God is always reaching out to us, calling us, loving us, strengthening us, and changing us through the gift of marriage. Marriage is more than just a guarantee we will always have our