Focus on the Family Magazine - August/September 2023
It can be a struggle to raise a family while balancing your work life, social life and relationships. Focus on the Family magazine is here to help! Each complimentary issue delivers fresh, practical Biblical guidance on family and life topics. Every issue comes packed with relevant advice to build up your kids, strengthen your marriage, navigate entertainment and culture, and handle common challenges you may face in your marriage and parenting journeys. Plus you'll find seasonal advice ranging from back-to-school activities to date night tips for you and your spouse.
It can be a struggle to raise a family while balancing your work life, social life and relationships. Focus on the Family magazine is here to help! Each complimentary issue delivers fresh, practical Biblical guidance on family and life topics.
Every issue comes packed with relevant advice to build up your kids, strengthen your marriage, navigate entertainment and culture, and handle common challenges you may face in your marriage and parenting journeys. Plus you'll find seasonal advice ranging from back-to-school activities to date night tips for you and your spouse.
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COUPLES / COMMITMENT<br />
Left: <strong>Family</strong> trip to <strong>the</strong> beach, 1997<br />
Right: Dev and Marcy in fr<strong>on</strong>t of <strong>on</strong>e of her paintings<br />
that I opened up to Dev about <strong>the</strong><br />
extent of my memory loss and pain.<br />
Throughout my early recovery, and<br />
even my drinking, Dev never stopped<br />
praying for me.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> hospital, when he’d had no<br />
sleep, he stayed <strong>the</strong>re. Dev kept coming<br />
back and kept coming back. And<br />
throughout my drinking, he never gave<br />
up and kept loving me.<br />
Stroke of a paintbrush<br />
Eighteen years after <strong>the</strong> coma, I had<br />
an intense urge to paint. Dev said he<br />
wasn’t surprised, knowing that I had<br />
majored in studio art in college and<br />
was often covered in paint during<br />
those years. I didn’t know why I’d given<br />
it up—ano<strong>the</strong>r lost memory—but I<br />
c<strong>on</strong>cluded a busy family life might<br />
have been <strong>the</strong> reas<strong>on</strong>. After taking<br />
some art classes, I rediscovered a l<strong>on</strong>glost<br />
passi<strong>on</strong> for oil painting.<br />
Today, I see how God is at work<br />
through my art. The abstract style I<br />
use requires multiple layers of paint<br />
<strong>on</strong> canvas, and <strong>on</strong>e day I sensed that<br />
God was speaking to me as I looked at<br />
an unfinished piece. I recognized that<br />
He’s <strong>the</strong> master artist. Every layer matters.<br />
Nothing is wasted. God is working<br />
every layer of our lives toge<strong>the</strong>r for<br />
good (Romans 8:28).<br />
Dev leans <strong>on</strong> ano<strong>the</strong>r Bible passage<br />
that means a lot to him.<br />
“Count it all joy, my bro<strong>the</strong>rs, when<br />
you meet trials of various kinds, for you<br />
know that <strong>the</strong> testing of your faith produces<br />
steadfastness” (James 1:2-3).<br />
Dev would never say that our trials<br />
were a joyful thing to go through, but<br />
he sees that God had real purpose for<br />
saving me and our marriage.<br />
Five years ago, I discovered I suffer<br />
from rheumatoid arthritis. After<br />
six surgeries, <strong>the</strong> debilitating disease<br />
has impacted my work as an oil<br />
painter. But Dev and I still cling to <strong>the</strong>se<br />
verses when life’s big problems seem<br />
insurmountable.<br />
Not al<strong>on</strong>e<br />
As lifel<strong>on</strong>g travel compani<strong>on</strong>s, Dev and<br />
I have raised children toge<strong>the</strong>r and are<br />
now welcoming grandchildren. We also<br />
share life with six o<strong>the</strong>r couples who we<br />
lovingly refer to as “friends like family.”<br />
When Dev and I c<strong>on</strong>sider where we<br />
are now, he’s quick to point out that<br />
we’d be completely lost without our<br />
faith in <strong>the</strong> Lord and a str<strong>on</strong>g spiritual<br />
support system.<br />
Despite <strong>the</strong> beautiful trajectory of<br />
our story, <strong>the</strong>re are still losses.<br />
Dev and I lost a comm<strong>on</strong> thread<br />
that most couples have. We d<strong>on</strong>’t have<br />
<strong>the</strong> shared memory of dating, getting<br />
engaged, getting married or having our<br />
children. And for me, that is a real loss.<br />
Yet we marvel at God’s faithfulness—hardship<br />
and victory blending<br />
like paint <strong>on</strong> canvas—with each layer<br />
serving a purpose. And we’re careful to<br />
ensure that each layer we’ve endured<br />
is not wasted.<br />
Margot Starbuck is a graduate of Westm<strong>on</strong>t<br />
College and Princet<strong>on</strong> Seminary, and is <strong>the</strong><br />
award-winning writer of more than 30 books.<br />
She especially treasures <strong>the</strong> privilege of writing<br />
al<strong>on</strong>gside athletes, entertainers and overcomers.<br />
BLANK CANVAS<br />
by Marcy Gregg<br />
When Marcy awoke from a coma, 13 years<br />
had vanished from her memory. Terrified<br />
and c<strong>on</strong>fused, she did <strong>the</strong> <strong>on</strong>ly thing<br />
she could think of: She faked it. Marcy<br />
bluffed her way through doctor appointments<br />
and visits from friends and family.<br />
It worked: She was released to a home,<br />
family and life that was hers—but felt<br />
like a stranger’s.<br />
Shop.<str<strong>on</strong>g>Focus</str<strong>on</strong>g>OnThe<strong>Family</strong>.ca<br />
PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE GREGG FAMILY<br />
34<br />
FOCUS ON THE FAMILY CANADA<br />
AUG / SEP <strong>2023</strong>