The Troll

When I was a child, I used to really enjoy fairy tales. There was something about the imaginary world of fairies and gnomes that intrigued me. I also loved the stories of the princes who saved the damsels in distress and of the wrongs being turned to right…and of course, I loved the “happily ever after” endings! But when the tales turned dark and gloomy, I would become afraid. Do you remember the story about the troll that lived beneath the bridge? He would lurk in the shadows beneath the wooden structure waiting to pounce upon some weary traveler. The story goes that as the people crossed the bridge their fear of what lay beneath would paralyze them. In their imaginations, they saw the troll as a huge, snarling beast that no weapons used against it could find victory. And so, as their fear grew, so did their weakness, and one by one they would meet their doom. One day, a different sort of traveler crossed the bridge. Instead of cowering in fear and letting his imagination take hold, he bravely called the troll out into the light. And once he did, the true character and small size of the troll was visible and easily defeated. For you see, the monster loved the darkness, but hated the light because it was in the light that his façade was revealed.

How many times in our marriages have we allowed a troll to take up residence? Maybe that “troll” is some past hurt or disappointment, or even a sin of ours which has been left unchecked. When we cover it up and leave it to fester in the dark, it grows larger and more powerful in our minds until it seems to have the ultimate strength to devour us. I don’t know about you, but that’s not the “happily ever after” ending I want for my story! Thankfully, God tells us that we need not have fear! With Him, we can battle and find victory over anything lurking under our bridges.

“The LORD is my light and my salvation--whom shall I fear? 

The LORD is the stronghold of my life--of whom shall I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1) 

When we courageously bring past hurts or sins into the light, they lose their power. Open and loving communication is crucial in marriage! Sometimes it can be difficult, or downright scary, but when we ask God to strengthen us and take away our fears, the things that we bring into the light shrink with each gently spoken word. Nothing will be defeated if we remain silent and allow that troll to hide beneath the bridges in our marriage. However, when we sit down together, with God by our sides, we can talk things through and find solutions to problems, forgiveness for hurts and strategies for defeating that troll we feared. And when it is defeated we will experience an incredible joy that far surpasses the fairy tale endings of imaginary stories…for we will have found victory over darkness in real life and experience the full blessing of marriage that God extends to us.

Standing in victory,

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1:5)

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