Page 118 - The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts

began talking almost immediately after we sat down. She
said, “Dr. Chapman, the reason we wanted to take you to
the airport is so that we could tell you about our miracle.”
Something about the word miracle always causes me to
brace myself, especially if I don’t know the person who is
using it. What bizarre story am I going to hear? I
wondered, but I kept my thoughts to myself and gave Janice
my undivided attention. I was about to be shocked.
She said, “Dr. Chapman, God used you to perform a
miracle in our marriage.” I felt guilty already. A moment ago,
I was questioning her use of the term miracle, and now in
her mind I was the vehicle of a miracle. Now I was listening
even more intently. Janice continued, “Three years ago, we
attended your marriage seminar here in Chicago for the
first time. I was desperate,” she said. “I was thinking
seriously of leaving Jim and had told him so. Our marriage
had been empty for a long time. I had given up. For years, I
had complained to Jim that I needed his love, but he never
responded. I loved the children, and I knew they loved me,
but I felt nothing coming from Jim. In fact, by that time, I
hated him. He was a methodical person. He did everything
by routine. He was as predictable as a clock, and no one
could break into his routine.
“For years,” she continued, “I tried to be a good wife. I
cooked, I washed, I ironed, I cooked, I washed, I ironed. I
did all the things I thought a good wife should do. I had sex
with him because I knew that was important to him, but I felt
no love coming from him. I felt like he stopped dating me