Marriage-not for the faint of heart

On Wednesday @youmeandnfp invited @grouchy_historian and I to have an open & honest conversation about the affects that contraception, sterilization & an addiction to porn have on a marriage as well as sharing how JP2’s Theology of the Body changed us, healed us and in time brought full restoration. 
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Every time we speak about all we have faced, we realize exactly how miraculous the healing of our marriage is. We understand on a deeper level that had we not surrendered ourselves and our family to the Lord, done the incredibly hard work ( both individually and as a couple ) of getting to the original wound and allowing God to heal it, we would not be together today. 
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It is not an easy thing to share so openly your deepest shame. It’s not an easy thing to speak about mistakes made and sins entered into. It’s not an easy thing to relive past regrets and acknowledge that there are still repercussions today.  
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But God.
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Y’all ANYTHING is possible with God. ANYTHING! Those two kids who started out knowing that all they wanted was to be loved just as they were, learned the hard way, that when you remove God from your bedroom, there is someone else standing at the ready to dismantle and destroy what God brought together to bring forth life. 
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My DM’s have been filled with such pain and agony all week long. Stories of wives losing their husbands or mothers losing their sons or daughters to this horrid addiction. So much pain. All asking the same question. “What do we do Mary? How do we reach them?” 
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Friends, my only answer is “Jesus”. This wall faces our bed. It’s the first/last thing we see every single day. A reminder of the day we entered into our vocation, Sts. Scholastica and Benedict, Mary Magdalene and Our Blessed Mother all interceding for us and of course Our Lord on the Cross, paying the ultimate price for our sin, He loves us that much. 
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How does restoration happen? Prayer, fasting, counseling, spiritual direction and the Sacraments. Through complete surrender to God to do as He wills in your life and your marriage. It’s the hardest thing we’ve ever done, but the payoff is pretty darn sweet. Don’t ever give up on God Miracles await.