We have been lied to. What we’ve been sold in love songs and love stories about following your heart has probably caused more heartache than happiness. If I had followed the emotions of my heart, my marriage would have ended long ago, and I would be writing about how to survive a divorce rather than celebrating the successes we now enjoy as a family. Here is the truth. You must lead your heart, not follow it. If you are not leading it, then something or someone else is. To give up power over your heart takes you out of the control position of your life. You are the master of your ship. You decide your destination and establish the course to get you there. People who follow their hearts are often tossed by emotional wind and wave and sometimes their ship sinks before it ever gets to shore. The fact is, following your heart leaves you vulnerable to pursuing what feels right at the moment rather than focusing on the sacrifice and self-control needed to establish stable and secure relationships. Many a marriage has ended when a spouse claims he or she did not mean to fall in love with someone else. This suggests that the decision to engage in a relationship outside of their marriage was simply out of their hands. This is not so. Learning to lead the heart rather than follow it can help correct course before temptation takes over and marriages and homes are broken. Regarding those seeking success in the business world, I recently read an article which identified the challenges associated with being married to an entrepreneur. “Neglect” was cited as one of the most common factors for divorce. The writer spoke of the wonderful memories she made spending time with her children while her husband was consumed with work related responsibilities. Special occasions were repeatedly missed for years while he vigilantly pursued opportunities for professional success. The wife felt her husband had a mistress. In this case, it was his business. Their marriage didn’t make it. Even marriages in faith-based homes can be vulnerable to strain and separation. Dave and Ann Wilson know first-hand how honoring the Lord isn’t enough if they neglect to honor each other. Ann was married to a chaplain for the Detroit Lions football team. He was also co-founder of a megachurch and an inspiring speaker on stages. Everybody seemed to love him. Unbeknownst to Dave, however, he had lost the love of his wife. On their tenth wedding anniversary, Dave planned a beautiful, romantic evening for his sweetheart. For Ann, however, the night was anything but sweet. She had no feelings left for her husband. While in their parked car following what was supposed to be a night which fortified their marriage, Ann told her husband the depths of her despair: I feel like you are never home. I feel like you’re not engaged with me. I feel like you’re not engaged with the boys. My heart for you feels dead and I feel lonely and forgotten! Dave was stunned. He was completely taken aback by the truth that was now glaring at him on the table. Their situation was dire. It was clear that Ann had given up on their marriage. She was done. The hurt ran deep, and her heart was cold because of it. Dave had to decide what to do. His effort to make up for lost time with romance, roses, and a nice restaurant dinner had failed. It seemed that their marriage was in ruins. Dave and Ann sat for a time in silence uncertain about their future. Then, what Dave did next had the power to eventually repair what was broken, to heal the hurt, and put warmth back in Ann’s heart. Dave turned around in the driver’s seat of the car, put his knees on the floorboard, and with the steering wheel at his back, he prayed. In that moment, Dave turned the wheel over to God and vocally petitioned Him for help. Ann was speechless. Dave repented of being so busy that he neglected his family. He begged God to help him become the husband and father he was supposed to be and not the hypocrite he could now see he had become. Seeing and hearing Dave turn to a loving Father in Heaven for help broke Ann’s closed heart open. What was hardened suddenly softened enough to allow humility to slip inside. Knowledge and understanding then began to flow into Ann’s soul. As Dave spoke to God, God spoke to Dave’s wife. Ann suddenly understood that her husband was not equipped to fill all of her needs. In fact, he was never meant to. He was a husband and father trying the best he could to do what he felt needed to be done. He erred, but he wasn’t evil. He was good, and so was she. They needed help—the kind that only an omnipotent God could give. And divine intervention came as it always does when we allow the Lord to lead our lives to a better place. In Proverbs 3: 5-6, we are counseled to “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct they paths.” Ann surrendered her pain and pride and knelt in the car beside her husband to offer her own petition to the Lord. She humbly prayed: Jesus, I want to surrender all of my life to you. I’ve realized tonight that I’ve been trying to find my life in Dave. I’ve been believing that if Dave would just be a better husband, then I could truly be happy. That is a lie. You are my true source of joy. I choose you again tonight as my life. Take my life and our marriage and do great things in and through us. Dave and Ann’s prayers were answered that night. Not only did their marriage survive and thrive, but Dave and Ann now focus their lives on helping other marriages thrive as well. They’ve been married for nearly 40 years and mentor others with this primary principle—marriages need to go vertical. Their book, Vertical Marriage: The One Secret That Will Change Your Marriage, is an excellent resource for guiding husbands and wives back to the powerful, protective influence of a loving God. Ann has testified: “If [God] has the power to resurrect Jesus from the dead, then He has the power to breathe new life into a dead marriage.” That is exactly what God did for their marriage…and for mine. When my marriage was in troubled waters, like Ann, I felt alone and neglected. Personality differences, Brian’s work demands, and other significant distractions created a serious disconnect. It’s not that Brian didn’t love or support me. He just sometimes didn’t know how. My heart no longer felt love for him. This in turn caused him to feel rejected and alone. The cycle and circumstances were painful for us both. Frankly, he felt helpless and so did I. But I kept praying, and so did he. Eventually all that we needed was provided as long as we waited patiently on the Lord. Psalm 27:14 says, “Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.” I waited, but I also had to be still. At times there was so much pain I was processing that I was desperate to run. I wanted to