Forty-two years ago, we made a covenant with one another and with the Father, not a contract but a covenant. Did you know there is a difference? Divorce would never be an option. As we began our life’s journey together, we knew we needed to surround ourselves with others who were in the same season of life we were in as well as those who had more marriage experience. We chose to take part in marriage retreats, conferences, and Sunday School Classes that gave us tools and friendships that supported our marriage.
About three years ago we attended a Marriage for a Purpose conference here at Genesis that totally turned our prospective upside down on how we looked at our marriage. We had never considered looking at our marriage from a ‘purpose focused” point of view. Every other marriage program focused on the problems and how to overcome them rather than the commonalities we shared in trying to make our marriage work.
I’m not saying that we didn’t have bumps in the road, far from it, however we have learned not to focus on the bumps but rather to focus on the things that we agree on in our marriage. How do we come into alignment with each another and with the Father’s plans for us as a couple? What about our marriage are we in agreement with? We know it doesn’t do any good to say “if only” but wow “if only” we had this prospective earlier in our marriage.
I remember those years when Dana got up everyday and went to work and came home and needed some attention. I had been home all day corralling kids and working to keep the home running smoothly and didn’t have anything left to give at the end of the day. Or when our kids left for college and suddenly, as a mother I am no longer needed and as a wife I started looking to my husband to meet my needs. Because he was caught up in his work life, his world had not turned upside down like mine. Now we as a couple, needed to figure out a whole new rhythm to our life together. Those were a couple of tough seasons for sure. However, because we had chosen from the beginning to make our marriage a priority and had built our marriage on the Rock (Jesus), when we hit those hard times, we didn’t give up because we were standing on the Rock.
Now we have new tools from the Father to move forward into greater things. He has given us a process to share with other couples. As certified Married for A Purpose coaches we are passionate about empowering married couples in discovering their purpose and life vision, especially young couples with busy families as well as those in the empty nest season.
We currently live 45 minutes north of Dallas in Melissa, TX. We enjoy spending time with our children and grandchildren as well as working in our real estate business.
Barbara & Dana Worth
