Marriage Moment: I Choose | Great Peace Living

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It isn’t always easy. Marriage.

When a bride and groom stand and say “For better or Worse.” I don’t think they generally have any clue what the worse could be. They see the better. It’s right in front of them complete with roses, chocolates and hormones. The worse comes later. When the wedding gifts have been opened, the people have gone home, and the honeymoon is over. It slowly shows itself when the work begins.

We married young. I was just 19, and he 20. We were so broke. We thought love was all we needed. Then the electric bill came due and the rent. We were too broke for cable. My parents paid for our phone because they wanted to be sure they had a way to stay in touch. Groceries are hard to buy with 1 minimum wage income. But, through it all we survived. We didn’t starve or get evicted.

You would think that would be the hardest part about marriage. The starting out broke. But, it really isn’t. No, along the way there have been many difficult hills to climb or dark valleys to cross. For us perhaps infertility has been the hardest thing we’ve faced. But, I don’t really know that for sure, because what I have come to realize is that each crisis is in the moment the biggest crisis we ever face. But then the crisis passes and we move on. When the next one comes, the previous one no longer seems so tough. Each in and of themselves is the “Worse.”

Somewhere around the 12th year of marriage I started to realize that it was the hard parts of marriage that somehow drew us closer together as a couple. I’m not saying I look forward to the hard parts. But, I no longer fear them either. Fear is the work of Satan.

1 John 4:18
“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.”
Instead I trust in God to provide for my family. I trust that God is the uniting Spirit within my marriage, keeping us whole and strong in Him. No matter the difficulty we may be facing in a given moment, I know without doubt that it isn’t the worse. For Christ suffered the worse, for me, for my Beloved and for my son. I trust in Him, I obey Him. I rely on Him to care for me and my family. I trust Him to carry me through the rough times. I love because He loved me first. I love my husband, son and family, my church family and my neighbor both known and unknown because I have found perfect love in Him.

1 John 4:8
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
I humble myself in prayer before the mighty hand of the Lord, so that fear is cast far from me. He is faithful.

James 4:9-11

^“9Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. ¹⁰Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.”

For better, I choose to remain with my Beloved, For Worse I choose to remain with my husband. For richer, I choose to remain married to my husband, for poorer I choose to remain married to my husband. In sickness and health I choose to remain married to my husband.

I choose, to trust that God is leading our marriage. I choose to believe that He works ALL THINGS together for good to them that love God and are called to HIS purpose.

Romans 8:28
“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

I Choose! 20 years ago I chose to say “I Do.” Today I still choose, “I Do.”

Would you like to join me by adding your own Marriage Moment?