God has such an awesome sense of humor, and there’s really no telling what He will use to help teach us! I know that, because I was just making Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, when He revealed to me how our spouses’ hearts can be turned soft, but that just like the macaroni, it will take some change and time; once again reminding me of the reasons for the unwanted challenge to wait! Our spouses’ hearts may be hard right now, even changing from soft, caring hearts over a period of time to hearts that have become harden by painful or disappointing experiences. Perhaps they were once Christ’s followers, but have now gone by the wayside into the far country. As spouses who love them unconditionally and want nothing less than to have our marriages fully restored, we would love to see our mates’ hearts turned toward God and softened to accept His plan for the restoration of our marriages and to us.
Well, back to the macaroni! The box contains hard, crunchy, elbow pieces of pasta. At one time they were pliable and soft but then dried to become the now rigid form contained in the box. To me, these pieces are useless and not at all appetizing — I would not at all be tempted to eat them. However, I remember when I was young; we made beautiful pictures at Bible School by gluing macaroni to paper and creating a design or object. So I guess even hard, uncooked macaroni can be used for something, even though that is not its intended purpose.
The point God made to me is that a process is necessary to change macaroni from its hard, crunchy state, with little use, to the soft, edible, delicious food that is probably my very favorite! How does something change from one thing to something very different? Even though the process is very simple, the directions must be followed in order to have the desired results. That involves a step by step process, which I know will bring about the results I want if followed. So anticipating the end result is what keeps me focused on following the directions.
The directions are clearly printed on the box. First, I have to prepare water and wait for it to boil; that takes time and if I jump ahead, the results will not come out the way I want them to. Then there are ingredients to add at the precise times and if I don’t follow those directions, the entire process can take a totally different turn, and again, the results will be altered. I have to know when to do what, when to add what, when to wait and at what point the process is completed. If I do as directed, the result is that those hard, crunchy little pieces of pasta are transformed into delicious bits of soft, tasty pasta covered with cheese that I dearly love to eat!! I know that, because I have completed this process over and over again, so I know it works! It is truly amazing if you think about how something can change so much with such little effort.
Part of our wait for marriage restoration is like the macaroni changing from something so hard to something so soft and so much more desirable and useful. In the same way, our spouses’ hearts need to be changed from the hardened hearts they have become to the softened, pliable and yielded hearts and vessels God desires. And we must follow the plan God gives us in His Word; doing what He tells us to do, when He tells us to do it, which means waiting for one process to be completed, before proceeding with the next one. His promise is that the end result will be what He and we desire; changing a hard, callused heart into (or perhaps back to), the soft, fleshy heart that can once again receive the love of God and freely give that love to us again. If we interrupt the process, by adding our own steps or ingredients, the results are altered. But if we let God guide and direct us, He will change our spouses’ hearts just like changing those hard, crunchy pieces of pasta into the desirable soft, cheesy, delicious morsels that so many of us love to eat.
God is working in our situations, and calling us to believe, trust and have faith in Him. He requires us to seek His Word for knowledge and understanding so that He can grant us the wisdom to live our lives in obedience to Him. So we must pray, worship, and minister to others as we wait for Him to make the necessary changes in us and in our spouses. And as soon as God has completed the process, the restoration of our marriages will manifest right before our very eyes, in God’s perfect timing, just as they already have in the spiritual realm!
Be blessed and KNOW God IS working in the restoration of your marriage.

Romans 11:7 (NLT)
So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have—the ones God has chosen—but the hearts of the rest were hardened.

Ephesians 4:18 (NLT)
Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him.

Acts 28:27 (NLT)
For the hearts of these people are hardened, and their ears cannot hear, and they have closed their eyes—so their eyes cannot see, and their ears cannot hear, and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me and let me heal them.’[a]

Malachi 2 (NLT)
13 Here is another thing you do. You cover the Lord’s altar with tears, weeping and groaning because he pays no attention to your offerings and doesn’t accept them with pleasure.
14 You cry out, “Why doesn’t the Lord accept my worship?” I’ll tell you why! Because the Lord witnessed the vows you and your wife made when you were young. But you have been unfaithful to her, though she remained your faithful partner, the wife of your marriage vows.
15 Didn’t the Lord make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his.[b] And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.
16 “For I hate divorce!” says the Lord, the God of Israel. “To divorce your wife is to overwhelm her with cruelty,[c]” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. “So guard your heart; do not be unfaithful to your wife.”

Matthew 19:8 (NLT)
Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended.

Posted Friday, June 22nd, 2007 at 11:12 am in Seeds Of Faith.