When a Friend’s Marriage Falters

Have you ever had a friend who has confided in you that he or she is struggling in their marriage?

Ted and I have. More than once.

And I’m not talking petty issues like stray socks left on the bathroom floor, but deep stuff. Things like infidelity, emotional detachment, and conflict that have been brushed under the rug for so long that now there’s no simple way to sort through it.

How have we responded when these friends have come to us?

Well, certainly not as relationship experts. Because we aren’t. Sure, I’ve authored a book on marriage that releases soon, but I write as a friend and fellow traveler. One who’s willing to be vulnerable and transparent in what God’s teaching me in my own marriage in hopes that it encourages others. Not as someone with all the answers.

The truth is, sometimes I feel ill-prepared and unequipped as a friend pours out her heart to me over Starbucks coffee or a bowl of French onion soup at Panera.

[Read the rest of the post at For the Family.]