“Are You Connected or Disconnected?”
Over the past two weeks I have heard multiple wives say the following about their husbands, “he has changed, I don’t know who he is any more, he has been mean and nasty to me, he acts as if he doesn’t care any more.” As I listen to each of the wives share, I realize that each of the situations are different. However, the common problem in each of the situations is that there is a disconnect.
John 15:5 says “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” Jesus Christ is the vine and we are the branches. Any time that we try to do life, marriage or anything without him, we CAN NOT do it successfully. Singles, if you hook up with someone who is not connected to Christ, don’t ignore this red flag. Jesus is the vine who wants to run through every relationship and marriage. He is the lifeline who keeps our relationships healthy, loving and successful. When fruit is disconnected from the vine, it dies. When a husband or a wife gets disconnected from Christ, they die. Marriages die when someone chooses to disconnect from the vine.
When a spouse stops connecting with God, it’s easy to disconnect with the spouse. When building your relationship with God is no longer a priority, people change, marriages suffer and usually the spouse and the kids begin to get mistreated. Any of us are capable of acting like a fool when we stop connecting and spending time with God. He is the only one who keeps us in check. Outside of God we all get side tracked and we are likely to do anything. When two people are staying connected to God individually, it makes connecting with each other easier. The vine (Jesus) helps us to keep loving, forgiving and giving in our relationships.
If you are experiencing a difficult time in your life, or know someone who is going through, I encourage you to “STAY CONNECTED TO THE VINE!” Often times when we are going through the enemy wants us to disconnect. So we stop going to church, stop spending time with other Christians, stop reading our Word and stop praying. Staying connected means doing just the opposite. You must be intentional about going to God’s house, praying, reading God’s Word so that you can maintain a healthy vibrant connection with the vine. Remember, without Him, you can do nothing!
Until next week . . .
Carolyn
Marriage from A to Z 
What a blessing this word was to me today. Without realizing it, we can slip slowly off the vine and start to wilt! A missed service here, a lazy prayer there and we wonder why we feel so low. We are definitely being tested and the only way we will make it through to the other side still connected to one another is to remain connected to Jesus.
Thank you!