Get in or get out

On p. 192-193 of "Wild at Heart," John Eldredge relates how marriage involves a battle:

Will you fight for her? That's the question Jesus asked me many years ago, right before our tenth anniversary, right at the time I was wondering what had happened to the woman I married. You're on the fence, John, he said. Get in or get out. I knew what he was saying -- stop being a nice guy and act like a warrior. Play the man. I brought flowers, took her to dinner, and began to move back toward her in my heart. But I knew there was more. That night, before we went to bed, I prayed for Stasi in a way I'd never prayed for her before. Out loud, before all the heavenly hosts, I stepped between her and the forces of darkness that had been coming against her. Honestly, I didn't really know what I was doing, only that I needed to take on the dragon. All hell broke loose. Everything we've learned about spiritual warfare began that night. And you know what happened? Stasi got free, the tower of her depression gave way as I began to truly fight for her.

Men, we need to fight for our wives over and over.

Making the most of a sabbatical

On page 72 of "Beautiful Outlaw," John Eldredge writes about what led him to take a sabbatical. He was physically exhausted, angry with people and felt little hope.

I knew this had to be more than a vacation. The sabbatical would be wasted if I didn't get to the bottom of the issues that caused me to need a sabbatical in the first place. It needed to be open-heart surgery. But my inner world felt like an Oriental rug of issues so intertwined I couldn't sort it out. Early one morning, while I was still lying in bed, looking at the ceiling and asking God to come for me, Jesus asked, Would you like to know what it is? 'Oh, yes, please, Lord,' I said. This is all one thing. Then a pause for effect. I'm thinking, one thing -- this is all just one thing?! You don't look to me -- you look to yourself.

The truth of it was indisputable the moment Jesus finished speaking. All the years of striving, sacrifice, loneliness, heroic exertion -- so much of what I took to be noble about my life was suddenly exposed as godless self-reliance. Utterly godless. I felt naked, like a man lying on an examining table who had just been shown the X-rays of his bone cancer. It was horrifying. And wonderful. Finally, the truth was out.

Sometimes open-heart surgery to take a pause and look at Jesus is what we need.