I’ve been writing in this quiet space for a few years now, and one of the topics I rarely write about is marriage. Although I am a huge advocate of marriage and believe marriage matters, I never feel qualified. Because quite frankly, I’ve never been really good at marriage.
Partly because my expectations of all that would come after “I do” have not matched up with reality. Don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of beautiful, magnificent moments, three amazing kids and too many furry critters to count. But there have also been hurdles and struggles sharper and more jagged than I ever imagined having the strength or will to navigate.
And these have challenged my commitment and staying power so deeply, that sometimes the only thread holding this sacred union together was my/our commitment first and foremost to God and to our children.
Because I believe marriage matters.
It matters for more reasons than our own happiness.
It matters beyond the battleground of our negative thinking.
It matters beyond the temptations to settle for a short-term view.
“What if God designed marriage to make us holy more than to make us happy?” ~ Gary L. Thomas Share on XTwo people coming together as one is never easy. Two people experiencing the depths of their own brokenness in living out this coming together is sometimes anything but beautiful or magnificent.
Yet it’s in pressing through our brokenness together that we create the most magnificent legacy…a God breathed legacy that spans beyond our last earthly breath to future generations. A legacy flowing with forgiveness, second chances and unconditional love. A legacy stamped with God’s redeeming healing and a wholeness that exceeds all expectations.
♥Because this is where God sweeps away the broken pieces of two broken people, if we can exchange our pride for humble yielding.
♥Because this is where God breaks chains and redeems the deepest, darkest soul-holes, if we can just hold on long enough.
♥Because this is where God reshapes our negative thinking and softens the hardened corners of our heart.
♥Because marriage is not supposed to be a fairytale….it’s supposed to be a fairytale in the making; filled with opportunities to breathe life into each and every struggle.
And happily ever after will come. It may come slowly, but it will come.
Your happily ever after matters, and I want to invite you to join me here in this quiet little space each Tuesday in September as my friends, Lori Schumaker, Crystal Storms and Denise Hughes offer some insight, wisdom and perspective to help us navigate this soul altering journey of marriage.
Perhaps you need a bit of encouragement to rise above the unhappy. Or maybe you’re struggling with negative thoughts, and their threatening to tear away the foundation. Or you need solid advice on how to breathe life into your marriage. And if you’re fighting the temptation to give up…maybe this is a place to let God speak hope into your weary heart.
We’ll look forward to seeing you here each Tuesday, beginning September 6th, and because I know life is super busy, feel free to subscribe to receive the posts straight to your email.