{"id":9327,"date":"2016-07-26T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-26T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites-stage.familylife.com\/flministries\/?p=9327"},"modified":"2025-02-26T12:46:36","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T17:46:36","slug":"it-was-as-though-god-was-crying-through-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/articles\/topics\/faith\/it-was-as-though-god-was-crying-through-me\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It Was as Though God Was Crying Through Me\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Back in 1971, I was on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ (now called Cru), and part of my job was to help oversee Cru staff women on college campuses in eight states. My heart was grieved when I visited the home of a couple whose marriage appeared to be in trouble.<\/p>\n

\"ItFour years later I encountered the same couple on yet another campus. My heart was stricken to see that they had been promoted, but their marriage difficulties had worsened. To think that they’d been given more responsibility and yet their marriage issues had been ignored broke my heart. I knew it did not honor God and I felt we were being irresponsible as an organization.<\/p>\n

During the next meeting of leaders for Cru’s outreaches in the U.S., we all talked about our most recent travels. I spoke of my dismay about the couple and their situation. I read some verses from 1 Timothy 3, which tell us that leaders in Christian ministry should manage their homes well. Verse five says, “For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?”<\/p>\n

Deeply burdened and with passion, I said, “Here we are helping to reach the world for Christ, and we are hurting on the inside. How long are we going to promote people when they are having difficulties in their marriages?”<\/p>\n

And then without warning to myself or the others, I began to cry, and the crying turned into sobs as I put my head on the table and wept for what seemed like a long time. I have never had this happen before or since, but as I look back it was as though God was crying through me.<\/p>\n

There was a “holy hush” in the room. When I was finally able to lift my head, our director, Paul Eshleman said, “Ney, what do you want us to do?”<\/p>\n

“I don’t know, Paul,” I said, “but we’ve got to do something.”<\/p>\n

Three reasons for marriage failure<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Shortly thereafter, Paul sent me and fellow Cru staff members Dave and Sande Sunde to the 1975 Continental Congress on the Family in St. Louis, organized by J. Alan Peterson. In attendance were thousands from all over the U.S. and the world who cared about marriage and the family. The turning point for me was a session by Dr. Howard Hendricks, a professor from Dallas Theological Seminary.<\/p>\n

His words were profound. “There are three reasons for marriage failure,” he said:<\/p>\n