Time and distance have a way of making even the strongest of relationships feel vulnerable. No matter how hard you have tried to stay connected, cracks in the wall will need repair. Time and distance also have a way of making the cracks in a relationship appear wider and impossible to mend. Do not believe such things. Hard to repair? Yes. Impossible to mend? No.

When Nehemiah inspected the wall, he discovered for himself that the walls were in ruins. After looking at the mess, Nehemiah said, “You see the trouble we are in…” The Hebrew word for trouble used here is a very strong word communicating that evil could come upon them because of the defenseless condition of their city. Nehemiah did not dwell on present calamities or future dangers. He followed his assessment with an appeal to get to work. He told the people he had the king’s authority to enter into a project to rebuild the walls. More importantly, the hand of the Lord was upon him. He cast a vision of possibility if they worked together to rebuild. You know what? The people owned it! They encouraged each other and got to work.

Whatever the level of the repair that needs to take place in your relationship, following deployment, I assure you—God wants to help you make those repairs. Nehemiah saw what he needed to do to restore the city, but he could not do it by himself. You or your husband may see areas in your relationship that need attention. Share your observations with each other and commit to owning together the vision to improve your relationship.