IN a lively discussion of the New Testament the question was, “The man who is unstable in all his ways is a ________________.” Fill in the blank with the scripture from James, “double minded man.” But one guy spoke out boldly with “Married!” I laughed out loud.

The hardest thing I’ve ever done in all my life is stay married. Numerous were the times when I was told that it was over, or that it really, obviously was never meant to be that we got married, and it was all wrong and not worth it anymore. What do you do? What do you say? I just did what I could to keep on going, to keep it going, so things would not come apart—any more than they had up to that point—not come to an end. I tried. It was hard.

Worth it. Now things are smoothly slipping by, and the end is in sight: not the end of the uxorial venture, but the end of the mortal trial and probation.