Robin Roberts, the anchor for Good Morning America, recently returned to work after battling a life-threatening blood disease. She endured chemotherapy, a bone marrow transplant, and months in the hospital and then isolation at home. She speaks with great respect about her doctor and his great care for her that included his tears but also his prayers. She was moved to say “I love a doctor who can respect that there’s somebody else on your team, and that’s God.”
She reminds us that we don’t operate in isolation, but are part of a family or community. When it comes to dealing with issues and struggles in our marriage or relationships, this becomes particularly important. And yet, I wonder if we really give much consideration to who is “on our team.” Who do we surround ourselves with – friends who support marriage and strong relationships or individuals who are motivated to undermine or negate them? It is not at all uncommon for someone who is miserable to want you to join their unhappiness. If they are in a relationship that is not working well, they may not support yours because they subconsciously want you to be there with them to commiserate and share the unhappy experience. We are influenced, good, bad, or otherwise, by our closest friends. This is why I want to make sure that the people I allow to be influences in my life hold similar values – which for this discussion, are a solid belief in committed, faithful, life-long marriages; talking positively and building up their spouse, working to find solutions to problems rather than problems in every solution. The influence of my “team” can have a strong impact on how I approach my own relationship when problems arise.
So, consider today – who do you want on your team – who needs to be there? And as Robin has indicated – our team most definitely needs to include God.