Every marriage seems to have its periods of "death" as well as "resurrection." C.S. Lewis felt this way and attributed so much divorce among Christians to their not waiting out that deadly period--the winter months of a marriage--until the spring, or resurrection, arrives.

A friend of mine likens marriage to the lilac bush in her garden. When it is bare and brittle during winter, she doesn't pull it out, only to plant a new bush each spring. Instead, she lives through that dormant period, and in the spring her lilac bush has not only grown, but it is more beautiful than ever.