"He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Corinthians 1:8-9
Dana and I decided early on that we wanted our marriage to succeed. We worked hard at keeping our relationship close and striving toward Christ's love in both of us. When times or even moments were difficult we met our indifferences head on and fought for one another. We chose never to use the 'D' word in our home; never wanting the boys to become insecure with whether their parents would make it together or not. We prayed hard and kept the faith knowing that the Lord would see us through.
All this to say, we don't have it all together nor do we have all the answers. Life is hard. Living with someone and sharing a life together is tough at times.
~We have to walk with the Lord, hand in hand, and depend on Him to guide us back to each other every time we feel we can't.
~Realizing God created marriage as a lifelong commitment has kept us from giving up so easily and seeing the bigger picture.
~Making that agreement that we married our best friend.
Even after 32 years of marriage we cannot take each other for granted. I know that Dana's love language is 'touch' so I hardly ever pass through a room where he is and not take the opportunity to reach out in the simplest way to touch his arm or rustle his hair, just letting him know I acknowledge his presence. We hug often and use the words 'I love you' with meaning. We compliment each other with words that give us a little lift in our day. We are tender with our words for one another but we love to laugh and joke around too. Laughter is good for the soul and gives another depth to your relationship.
We have watched others, some close to us, go through divorce. We have learned that we will always have to work at our marriage and never, ever assume that it will just last without any effort.
Marriage is a marathon not a sprint. (Isa. 40:31) Each day we choose to invest in our relationship to build our friendship. With our whole heart, we want to finish well. And to do that we must make our marriage a priority every day. With God's help, and an intentional mindset with determination and hard work we can achieve a successful God ordained union. Do not take it for granted!
Girls, depend on God. He will make you strong to the end. He is faithful. (1 Cor. 1:8,9)
I love you & He loves you more!
Dear Lord, May we fight hard for our marriages. Give us strength, understanding and determination to work together to make our relationships all that it can be in Your name. I pray for loving, compassionate and kind companionship that will last. Make us strong to the end. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Originally posted on 3/2/2020