In their recent book on Relationships, Paul Tripp and Tim Lane say:
We are well aware that we are smack dab in the middle of God’s process of sanctification. And because this is true, we will struggle again. Selfishness, pride, an unforgiving spirit, irritation, and impatience will certain return. But we are neither afraid nor hopeless. We have experienced what God can do in the middle of the mess. This side of heaven, relationships and ministry are always shaped in the forge of struggle. None of us get to relate to perfect people or avoid the effects of the fall on the work we attempt to do. Yet, amid the mess, we find the highest joys of relationship and ministry.
What is this hope and confidence? It is rooted in the Gospel itself. You can have hope, even if you are in the midst of conflict within your marriage, because as a sinner, you can conquer sin in the Gospel. The negative can be healed and restored. That is the Gospel’s work. Therefore, take hope today. The Gospel is able to make your marrriage all God intends it to be.