Eps. 31: Toxic times

What happens when life throws financial panic, career shifts, health struggles, and unaddressed hurt at your marriage all at once?

In this episode of Brutiful Marriage, we open up about our hardest season—a nearly 10-year stretch where tension, avoidance, and unspoken resentment took over our home. We talk about the identity crisis after stepping away from professional sports, navigating an undiagnosed ADHD diagnosis, and how pride and silence almost broke us.

Most importantly, we share the practical shifts, mentors, and spiritual intimacy that helped soften our hearts and guide us back to each other.

What we unpack:

  • Facing health issues, career transitions, and financial stress simultaneously

  • Why resentment is "love with no place to go"

  • How avoidance and pride keep couples stuck in toxic spirals

  • Discovering an ADHD diagnosis and overcoming executive functioning hurdles

  • Learning to soften hard hearts and rebuilding emotional intimacy

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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a toxic season in marriage?

A toxic season is a period when stress, conflict, resentment, fear, disappointment, or poor communication become so overwhelming that they begin affecting the health of the relationship. In Episode 31, Doc and Crystal describe navigating financial stress, health challenges, legal issues, career uncertainty, and growing frustration, all at the same time. A toxic season does not necessarily mean the marriage is failing. It often means the marriage is under pressure.

Can financial stress damage a marriage?

Absolutely. Money problems affect more than bank accounts. They can affect security, confidence, communication, decision-making, and trust. In Episode 31, financial stress became one piece of a much larger storm that was already putting pressure on the relationship. The challenge wasn't simply the lack of money. It was the fear, uncertainty, and emotional strain that came with it.

What happens when a spouse loses their sense of purpose?

Losing a career, identity, calling, or dream can impact a marriage in significant ways. Doc describes the difficulty of transitioning away from professional track and field after spending decades identifying himself as an athlete. When that chapter ended, he faced questions many people encounter during major life transitions:

  • Who am I now?

  • What do I do next?

  • What value do I bring?

Major identity shifts frequently affect both spouses, not just the person experiencing the transition.

Why is career transition so difficult for marriages?

Career changes often impact finances, routines, confidence, future plans, and family dynamics. When one spouse is struggling to find direction, the other spouse may simultaneously be carrying fear, stress, and additional responsibilities. Episode 31 highlights how difficult career changes can trigger feelings of inadequacy, frustration, disappointment, and resentment if couples are not communicating openly.

What causes resentment in marriage?

Resentment often develops when unmet expectations go unspoken for too long. Crystal explains that seeing Doc feel stuck became increasingly frustrating because she needed help while simultaneously watching him struggle. Meanwhile, Doc felt lost, discouraged, and unsure how to communicate what he was experiencing. Resentment tends to grow in the space between what people need and what they communicate.

Why is emotional safety important in marriage?

People rarely share their deepest struggles when they feel judged. One of the most powerful moments in Episode 31 occurs when Doc admits he did not feel emotionally safe talking openly about what he was experiencing. He worried that honesty would be met with criticism instead of understanding. Emotional safety doesn't mean avoiding difficult conversations. It means creating an environment where honesty can survive them.

What should I do if my spouse seems stuck?

First, try to understand the struggle before attacking the behavior. A spouse who appears lazy may actually be discouraged. A spouse who appears unmotivated may actually feel defeated. A spouse who seems disengaged may secretly feel overwhelmed. That doesn't mean accountability is unnecessary. It means effective solutions start with understanding what is really happening beneath the surface.

Can pride make marriage problems worse?

Yes. In Episode 31, Doc reflects on how pride prevented him from fully expressing what he was feeling and asking for the support he needed. Pride often convinces people that struggling is weakness and that asking for help is failure. Unfortunately, pride rarely protects a marriage. More often, it isolates people within it.

How do you communicate during difficult seasons?

Start by telling the truth. Not the polished truth. Not the edited truth. The actual truth. Healthy communication often sounds like:

  • "I'm scared."

  • "I feel overwhelmed."

  • "I don't know what to do."

  • "I need help."

  • "I'm hurting."

Vulnerability may feel risky, but it often becomes the bridge back to connection.

What if both spouses are struggling at the same time?

This is one of the hardest situations a marriage can face. In Episode 31, both Doc and Crystal had legitimate struggles occurring simultaneously. He needed support. She needed support. Both felt overwhelmed. Both felt pressure. Sometimes healing begins when couples stop arguing over whose pain matters more and start acknowledging that both people are carrying something heavy.

How can couples survive major life stress?

Survival often requires:

  • Humility

  • Honest communication

  • Community

  • Professional support

  • Patience

  • Grace

  • Faith

Episode 31 highlights how growth became possible when pride gave way to honesty and isolation gave way to support. Hard seasons rarely improve by pretending they don't exist.

Why do marriages struggle during transitions?

Because transitions create uncertainty. Whether the change involves:

  • Career

  • Finances

  • Health

  • Parenting

  • Loss

  • Relocation

  • Retirement

The old normal disappears before the new normal has been established. That in-between space often creates anxiety, tension, and confusion for both spouses.

Can difficult seasons strengthen a marriage?

Yes. Not because suffering is good. But because hardship often reveals issues that need attention. When couples choose humility, accountability, communication, and perseverance, difficult seasons can produce stronger foundations, deeper understanding, and greater emotional intimacy. Growth rarely happens without pressure.

What is the biggest lesson from Episode 31?

The biggest lesson is that your spouse is not the enemy. The financial stress is the enemy. The fear is the enemy. The pride is the enemy. The silence is the enemy. The resentment is the enemy. The marriage survives when two people stop fighting each other long enough to recognize what they are actually fighting against.

How do you know a toxic season is ending?

Usually before circumstances improve, communication improves. People start telling the truth. They become more humble. They begin asking for help. They become willing to listen. They stop trying to win. The circumstances may not change overnight, but the posture of the relationship starts to shift. And sometimes that shift is the beginning of healing.

FULL TRANSCRIPT

00:00 Well, hey y'all. Guess what? We're in. New Digs. You see it? Yeah. Shout out. Shout out. 1 A 1A Studios. We're super excited to. have a place where we can come to. y'all and share what we're talking. about, what we're thinking about. Does this make it official? I think it makes it official. Does. [laughter] this really mean that we're a. podcast? I guess you know because you. know from your living room I don't know.

00:30 if it's official but I think now this. feels more official. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And today we are. talking about toxic times. and we have had our fair share. for sure. Yeah. So like you know we basically boil. it down to like this. toxic times are. usually centered around one or three. things. [laughter] you're either. having health issues,. you're having financial trouble, or you. are having legal problems. And I will.

01:00 say that we were fortunate enough to. have all three. at the exact same time. Hit the jackpot. Hit the jackpot. Hit. the lottery on that. Yeah. And it's just been, you know, it. was a difficult time. I mean,. I will say that, you know, what we had. what just bought the house. Yeah. Yeah. Especially on the financial. side. I remember you know I was still. running track coming back from. the Olympics in 2008 made the Olympic. final thinking things are going to be.

01:30 great and only to find out that my shoe. contract. released me. and so and you know you also. [laughter] just found out we were pregnant. I was. three months along. Yeah. Yeah. Found out just before Christmas. Right before Christmas. Yeah. And you. know, side note, I remember my agent. said he knew on my birthday, but he. didn't want to ruin my birthday, so he. waited two weeks later to tell me. Yeah. that my current shoe company would.

02:00 not be re-signing me. So,. yeah. So, we got a baby on the way. We. got a brand new house and no money. And. [laughter] it was it was really rough. And then I remember, you know,. as the story unfolded, or. continued to unfold, you know, I. remember having to fight with the county. because for whatever reason, y'all, they. thought that we owned our entire street. Yeah. So, we had a we had a you know how. they built homes, we had our house built. and the whole lot was empty, but for.

02:30 some reason when we received our tax. bill,. it was for the whole street. It was for the whole street. And it was our responsibility. It was. our responsibility to prove that we only. owned our little slice of street. And. I'm telling you y'all, I was like what,. 25 years old. I know what was going on. It was just the most stressful thing in. the whole history of the world. I sent. so many emails to the city and to the. county from work. I wasted a lot of. time at work during that time in my life. trying to not pay that tax bill. So,. that was the financial piece or the.

03:00 legal piece. And then it was like on the. health side, you know, I was really. struggling a lot with pre-term labor. Y. I was on medicine. I was taking,. medicine regularly, just trying to. keep the baby in,. keep the baby baking cuz we needed the. Cody bear to be fully baked. Correct. and that was really unsettling and. scary. And then, you know, you had your. own issues. Yeah. Yeah. cuz I had an injury. where I separated my clavicle in.

03:30 a race and I know they say track is not. a contact sport. That's a lot. cuz I just happened to run into the. biggest guy in track and field. You sure did. And separated my clavicle and I. tell you this another side note, there's. nothing more interesting than having an. injury in another country. Well,. and this is before ChatGPT and AI. can help. before your AirPods to. translate words. Google translate. So I'm trying to ask. for X-ray. He asked what's wrong. I'm. just pointing like hey I hurt right.

04:00 here. [laughter] Oh you can't you can't this is hurting. No I hurt right here. And so but yeah we. we dealt with the gamut of the three. from financial to health. and you. know. I mean and then you eventually had. to transition right. Yeah. And that you know I think. that's if we had to say what started. the snowball rolling down the. snowball of toxicity. if you want to say that was me trying to. figure life out after track and.

04:30 field. Yeah. that was that was pretty tough. What was that like? It was rough. because, you know, there was a time. where, you know, I had identified with. one thing for. basically 20 years of my life. and to try to come with grips that. it was over was probably one of the most. difficult things I've ever dealt with. Yeah. And trying to manage essentially. what am I going to be when I grow up? [laughter] Nobody knows what they want to be when.

05:00 they grow up anyway. It's all li trying. to manage that. Then also, you know,. trying to fulfill my duties as a. husband, being a provider, I was stuck. it was it was very difficult. And I. and I know that was a strain. because I know there were times. that, you know, you would come home. and you would you would just see me. on the couch. and I'm watching TV and I sometimes I. remember seeing the disgust [laughter] look in your face. Was it disgust? Oh, absolutely. It was disgusting. It was definitely.

05:30 I was I was not a nice person then. Yeah. But and that and that started just. kind of this spiral of like, dude,. what you going to do? And I'll say. the most difficult part was. trying to find out how to talk to you. about what I was going through. And because at this point. I know that. resentment has started to build. and.

06:00 I and I felt the tension. And so I'll say I didn't think it was. a,. you know, I'll be honest, I didn't think. it was a safe place. Yeah. I didn't think that. And look, and. knowing you, your background,. how you grew up, it's it's knuckle up. Like, get going. Okay, this ain't. working no more. Figure life out. Like, I ain't got time to those stories. And so,. yeah. And also I know that it's hard to. have someone my opinion. You know, I was. thinking for people and I probably.

06:30 shouldn't do that. Should not. It was hard to. explain what I'm going through and. expect people to have empathy for a. quote unquote ex-pro athlete that. can't figure out life when there are a. lot of other things going on. And so I. just I didn't feel like I could say,. "Hey, I'm struggling.". Why do you feel like you couldn't say. that? Well,. because I just again like I said before,.

07:00 I didn't feel safe saying it. I felt. like you would just come down and just,. you know, beat me up with words that I. wasn't ready to receive at that moment. Yeah. And I don't know how I would. receive that. So,. I mean, I understand that. And to be. perfectly candid, I like I said, I was. it was tight. It was toxic time. it. [laughter] was the air was extra thick. in our house. and it was like that. for several years off and on. I mean we. had our you know bright moments and our.

07:30 happy moments and sunshine and sprinkles. and. you know unicorn farts but it the. the. entirety of that I want to say about 10. year stretch was more tension than not. And you know and I will take. ownership. I was very impatient. I was. very judgmental. I was very. Well, okay. Not nice. You Yeah, you wasn't. You wouldn't. [laughter] But. Oh, thank you for that. Thank you. But let's go back. What would you have.

08:00 rather seen at that time from me? What I needed from you was effort. I. needed effort. I needed to see something. happening. You know, like, you know,. it's like where the rubber meets the. road. It's like whether you are. getting up and leaving the house and. just walking around the block,. fine. You, for all I know, you out there. trying to conquer the world. But just. seeing you be so stationary and so stuck.

08:30 and not putting forth the effort to try. to figure it out was really, really,. really frustrating. It I felt like I. needed help. And that's the irony of the. whole situation. It's like you were you. wanted to ask me for help and I'm over. here like help please [laughter] help me. please help me you know. So it's it's. I think that's the interesting. thing and you know one of the things. that you know you we've learned in. hindsight through all of this is you. know.

09:00 humility goes a really long way. Yeah. You know again you know hindsight. right? Yeah. But in the moment, you know,. trying to be humble, humbling yourself,. too. Look, pride is overrated. Yes, it is. I just pride is overrated. And I was so. prideful. that I couldn't humble myself enough. to tell you how I was really feeling. And I think because of pride, it just.

09:30 continued. continued to be toxic in our. relationship. Yeah. And the other. thing, right, that you learn is you. gotta you got to recognize the spiral. You got to recognize when or when you're. spiraling, right? You might not catch it. out the gate when it first starts,. but when you after you done bumped your. head or walked into that wall a couple. of times, you kind of be like, you (you've) know,. maybe I should step to the side or move. to the left. You got to recognize when. that spiral is happening. And you've got.

10:00 to you've got to talk about it. you. because if you don't then that's where. the resentment creeps in and resentment. is a thug. Let me tell you something. about resentment. Resentment will have you in a choke. hole. because it's essentially. I like to think of resentment as. love with no place to go. It's like I. have these expectations. I love you and. I need this thing from you and you're. not giving it to me. my love doesn't.

10:30 have anywhere to go. I want to give it. to you. and you know, when your love. doesn't have anywhere to go, it's like. you got maximum opportunity for. toxicity. Yeah. And I think and that's what. happens, right? Everything is heightened. at that point. Mhm. Yeah. Because you have so much. resentment built up like every situation. is heightened. Why you breathing so loud? Why your face. look like that? Yeah. Why your shoes ain't tied? [laughter] You left the lights on again, you.

11:00 know? Golly. Yeah. So,. yeah. But I mean I would say like and. I most of our disagreements that we had,. you know, tangles that we got into, I. would say, you know,. they're going to happen, right? You're. just because you're having a. disagreement doesn't mean that you're. going through a toxic time, right? I. think that what happens is when you. avoid the disagreement. Yeah. I mean, I think you said it best. like disagreements don't end marriages.

11:30 They don't. They don't. Not talking about them is where it. starts. Exactly. Exactly. And I'mma tell you what, I boy, I was. the king of not talking about it. I was the king of not talking about it. It was going to fix itself. You let me. let me tell the story. Yeah. I definitely. You get a+ in avoidance. Okay. Yeah. And we you know, we kind of like. talked about the importance Yeah. of. asking for help like you know.

12:00 back in the day like if y'all ain't. never heard this before I don't know. where you been but you know the saying. goes what happens in this house stays in. this house and that has its place. it does. with very few specific exceptions. right so you know. but I think that's you know. that's how we grew up. stays in this house so I think you know. the fact that you say that now it does. take me back to like I think that was. the most difficult part. It's like who.

12:30 am I going to talk to about this? I. don't want nobody in our business,. you know? And but I don't know. It was. it was hard to kind of decipher between. letting people in then also, I guess,. being judged. Yeah. And also like I don't want nobody in my. business. Well, just like resentment can have you. in a chokehold, right? your pride,. your embarrassment, your shame, your. fear, whatever the thing is that's. keeping you from doing what it is that. you need to do or say whatever it is. that you need to say. Whatever that.

13:00 thing is, it will have you in a choke. hole and you've got to release it. You've got to release it or it's going. to keep you stuck. It will. I mean, you were you were stuck for. several years. Yeah. I don't Yeah,. you were stuck for several years and. and breaking that cycle requires. getting out of your head and getting. some fresh perspective like you ain't. got to talk to me. If you think that. I'mma judge you, of course I want you. [laughter] to talk to me. I love you. You're so cute. Yeah, whatever.

13:30 Anyway, but you know, you if you. can't talk to me, then dude, talk to. talk to your pastor. Talk to your best. friend. Talk to your family. Talk to. somebody that's not going to lie to you. I mean, y'all heard us talk about it. before. get help cuz I'll say that. was the beginning of our healing. Yeah. Is actually reaching out and asking. for help. And shout out to shout out to you. know, Pastor Pew and Pastor Godfrey, our. marriage mentors like we. we'll have them on by. and our best friends, right? Because you.

14:00 need somebody that's going to look at. you in the face and be like, "Your. breath stink.". Yeah. Yeah. So, yeah. Don't don't don't. find the. the goalong to get along. Yeah. Go along. Get along. Homeboy, home. girl is going to say, "Yeah, dog. She. was tripping.". Yeah. Yeah. She was tripping. She was. tripping. I need somebody say, "No,. dude. This on you. You mess and you got to do better.". Right. And. and to hold you accountable to it. And then that's the point. Yeah. You got. the ones who are saved, then you have. the ones who will hold you accountable. And we were blessed to have the few that. held us accountable to start helping us. on our journey to recover. Yeah. Yeah. And you know, it's like you.

14:30 you think about marriage, you know, and. you know, taking it to the Bible, we. were meant for community, right? We were. never meant to be alone. marriage is. a ministry. Yeah, it is. in and of itself. And you. Marriage is community though. It is. I mean, the truth be told, that's one. reason we started this podcast. Absolutely. It's community because we know. we don't have all the answers. We still. not getting it right. We still need. help. Sometime we ste each other's. throat, you know, we're just hoping.

15:00 to kind of,. you know, be in that community and. provide some type of u solace, you know,. or just be like, you ain't crazy. [laughter] Like, you know, like there's. there's so much peace in knowing that. you're not the only one that feels the. way that you feel. I will speak for. myself. No,. I want to know. that somebody else's husband leaves. their shoes in the door jam. Oh, stop. [laughter] I mean, but you know, I mean, I'm I'm. I'm joking, but you know, one of the one.

15:30 of the best pieces of advice that we. got, we got some really good advice,. as I mentioned before, but one of the. best pieces of advice we got was in our. premarital counseling from Father Tom. Yeah. he was like, "You going to have to. find some people who are married,. who are getting married around the same. time as you.". Yeah. you going to need to find somebody. that's got about five years on you. Yep. You're gonna need to find somebody. that's about 15 years in the game. I. mean, if you can find anybody above. that, what that does is give you. perspective. Yeah. Different on all the things that.

16:00 you're going to experience and go. through as you mature as a married. couple. And again, it kind of gives. you that peace of mind like, oh,. y'all crazy, too. Oh, that is just. so, I wasn't tripping. Yeah. So, she So, okay. Okay. I'm not the only. one. And then to have that guidance. Yeah. No, that's important. The guidance. is what's what's important. And. I can't stress how important that was. just to have someone and you know what. and to not give up on us. Yeah. You know that was important because.

16:30 I think there was a point where we was. easy to give up on. Yeah. [laughter] Yeah. We wasn't easy to deal with, you know,. for so many reasons that we named. already. But to stick with us was. important. Yeah. And just in those toxic times,. it's really important to just remember. like. No, go ahead. Go ahead. I [screaming] was just going to say that. your spouse is not your enemy. Like you. are not my enemy. You are literally a gift to me from God.

17:00 God is not God gives us good things. in. you know my. marriage. Say more about that. because I think that's what happens is. if you truly think about it your spouse. the one that's chosen for you for the. most part they don't have malicious. intent. No I mean. there's no malicious intent. I'm not. maliciously trying to hurt you. But you do annoy me. And the thing. is that you know I'll give this example. right? We talk about health. We talk. about legal issues. We talk about.

17:30 financial issues. One of the big. issues that we had when we were going. through our toxic time was follow. through. I y'all I would be like, "Babe,. will you pay the light bill?". Got it. Bet. Done. I'm like, "All right,. cool." And then, you know, then we get. the red letter in the mail. Like, wait a. minute. What? I thought you said that. you were going to pay the bill. And he. was like, "Yeah, yeah, got it. I'm get.

18:00 to it. I'mma get to it.". And then we get the little sticker on. the door. And I'm like, "D and I'm I'm. exaggerating a little bit for a fact. Just a little. Not really. It was. happening. [laughter] It was happening.". What we found out Yeah. Right. wasn't. that you weren't trying to be a jerk. You weren't intentionally ignoring me. You had ADHD. Diagnosed with ADHD. And it's like if. you have the patience to have the.

18:30 conversations, if you can drop your. guard long enough, let that pride go to. the side, that fear, the. worry about being judged or feeling. shameful, if you could just drop that to. the side and be like, "Look, use all. your words. Babe, I am not intentionally ignoring. what it is that you want me to do. Correct. I literally have a issue with executive. functioning and I am working on. that. I need help. which was part of getting help. like.

19:00 absolutely. reaching out which we did which I. did. got on a little medication. All of a. sudden I my checklist. got a little easier to do. Checklist got checked. Yeah. [laughter] I was like, "Oh, I. completed a task.". Yes. And we celebrated. Give me my gold star. Yes. I mean it's it's it's it. you know that it was a roundabout way to. say you know you know your spouse is not. your enemy. And when I said my marriage. mentor she told me she said Crystal. you going to have to pray to the Lord. and ask him to soften your heart towards.

19:30 your husband like you can't be walking. around with this hard heart. How did you take that? How did you take that? Cuz I know. where you were. I knew where we were in. that time. It was. And so, so for someone to say something. that I'm not going to say you didn't. agree with, but h how did you initially. take that when she told you have to. soften your heart? I had major eye roll. I had neck. [laughter] roll. I was like, I got to. soften my heart. He, you know, because.

20:00 at that part, at that point in my life,. I felt like you deserved to get the. wrath. within me. And. that's what I did. And no, you know. what? But I can say I deserve some of. it. I did put myself in a position to. be,. you know, hot fire,. breathing dragon,. breathing dragon coming out your nose. and mouth. So,. it's it's it's but she was like, you. know, you need to pray and you need to. ask the Lord to help you see him as he. sees Doc. You need to see Doc the way.

20:30 the Lord sees him and realize again that. he's not your enemy. Yeah. And. and that just really goes back. to praying. Yeah. Right. Yeah. Father Tom again, you know, he told. us we got to pray together and we were. like,. "Oh, let's let's let's go back to that.". That. what. the praying together. Yes. And so I'll say when you first you've. probably heard that a time or two, you. know, y'all should pray together. Mhm. Yeah. It's like the top piece of. advice. Keep God first.

21:00 That was tough for me. because, you know, I know how to pray. for you. Mhm. But praying with you was difficult. because again feeling judged and also my. my prayer didn't sound like the pastors. You ain't a pastor. I know. But you know you know they. say so eloquently and that it flows. and holier than thou and mine is just. all over the place. And so I know doing. that privately for you was a lot more. difficult than doing it with you. So,.

21:30 but I'll say o over time, if. I realize that. even though you're there, I'm not. talking to you. I'm talking to God. Right. It's like I just get to be a. witness to the prayer. To the prayer. Exactly. And, and that kind of vulnerability. like y'all, first of all, listen, I. don't know how y'all say y'all prayers. I don't sound like the pastor. you. know,. but you are communicators. So.

22:00 I am a communicator. I feel real judged. I do write for a living. I have a big. vocabulary. But the point. I did not [laughter] but the point is like however y'all pray. like one thing to remember is you give. him honor, you give him glory, you give. him gratitude before you ask for. anything. And you just talk to him. like he's your father cuz he is. You. don't have to. make it sound good. It don't you're not. doing it for an audience. you're doing.

22:30 it for your father and on in for the. benefit of your spouse. and when you think about it like. that,. ain't no ain't no worry there. I think for me, I just made it. conversational. Yeah. Yeah. I think the more you can make it. just conversational, the easier it is. Don't get caught up in like said the big. vocabulary word. just make just have a. conversation. and just being able to hear what you. prayed for me.

23:00 for. Is that how you say that? Come on. Communicator. I Well, listen, I'm having a brain fart. but just hearing you pray for me and. and know and just to know what you were. praying for me for or praying about. on my behalf was so. intimate in a sincere and unassuming. way. like I felt like I saw your. heart for me and it was it's a whole.

23:30 lot more difficult to be a jerk. [laughter] when you hear somebody's. heart and you know then I go back to my. marriage mentor talking about you need. to pray to the Lord to soften your heart. and I'm like dang I got a hard heart and. it's hard at him my heart is hard at my. husband that's that's really a hard. heart is. hard. yeah And if that's if that's the. the essence of who you are and it your.

24:00 heart is hardened towards your spouse,. man, that really saying that out loud in. the mirror will slap you upside the. head. You're like, "No, I you're my. gift.". Yes. Likewise. And God gives good things and I should. love you like he loves you. Yeah. despite how I feel. So,. you know, you get over the awkwardness. of praying together and it really does. increase your intimacy. It increases. your. willing to be vulnerable. Yeah. It becomes it just becomes easier.

24:30 It makes the toxic stuff untoxic. Yeah. It's easy to deal with it. A lot. easier. It is a lot easier to deal with it. And. and you know when you when you pray. together, Bible says where two or. three are gathered, there he is in the. midst. Yeah. so it's like yeah, allow. the Lord to enter your relationship and. and heal it because listen, he. established marriage. He established. the institution of marriage and he. wants us to be successful and if he did. it for us, he can do it for y'all. Listen,. tell you, we was down bad. [laughter]

25:00 We was out there a little rough. We were. rough. And don't and don't mistake a toxic. time. A toxic time doesn't have to last. always. It does not. It for us it. was a long time long season. Long season. But you know, like I said, Lord saw us. through and we're grateful for it. So. great. Super. We're here now. And we're here now. So, that's toxic. times, y'all. Thank you so much for. watching. I hope y'all like, subscribe,. comment, do all the things. Share the.

25:30 video, do all the things. and we'll. see y'all next week with a new episode. See y'all. Bye.

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