DAY' 11 '
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Remember'When'
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What&do&you&do&when&you’ve&lost&that&lovin’&feelin’?&Maybe&you&truly&adored&your&husband&in&
the&beginning,&but&now&you&can’t&remember&why.&Maybe&you&honestly&admired&his&finer&
qualities,&but&now&you&can’t&remember&what&they&were.&Maybe&you&appreciated&his&wonderful&
attributes,&but&now&take&them&for&granted.&What&do&you&do&now?&&
&
Here’s&a&statistic&you&might&find&interesting.&According&to&an&analysis&of&the&National&Survey&of&
Families&and&Household,&86&percent&of&unhappily&married&people&who&stick&it&out&find&that,&five&
years&later,&their&marriages&are&happier.&In&fact,&nearly&60&percent&of&those&who&rated&their&
marriage&as&unhappy,&and&who&stayed&married,&rated&their&same&marriage&“very&happy”&or&
“quite&happy”&when&reSinterviewed&five&years&later.^10 &In&comparison,&those&who&divorced&and&
remarried&divorced&again&at&a&rate&of&60&percent.^11 &
&
So,&starting&over&may&very&well&be&the&answer—as&long&as&it’s&with&the&same&man!&
&
In&the&book&of&Revelation&in&the&Bible,&God&had&this&to&say&to&the&church&at&Ephesus:&“I&hold&this&
against&you:&You&have&forsaken&your&first&love”&(Revelation&2:4).&Ephesus&was&one&of&the&most&
loving&churches&in&the&New&Testament&and&yet,&somewhere&along&the&way,&they&lost&that&initial&
thrill&of&knowing&Christ.&Their&love&for&each&other&and&for&God&had&grown&cold.&&
&
Perhaps&you&are&a&woman&who&has&forgotten&the&thrill&you&felt&when&you&first&met&your&
husband—the&spineStingling&chills&when&he&walked&into&a&room,&the&heartSskipping&flutter&when&
he&called&on&the&phone,&the&tender&wooing&when&you&saw&his&name&in&your&eSmail&box,&the&
electricity&of&sexual&desire&stirred&with&a&kiss.&Between&taking&out&the&garbage,&paying&the&bills,&
(^10) Linda J. Waite and Maggie Gallagher, The Case for Marriage (New York: Doubleday, 2000), p. 148.
(^11) Judith Wallerstein, Julia M. Lewis, and Sandra Blakeslee, The Unexpected Legacy of Divorce (New York:
Hyperion, 2000), p. 295.