The Hard Truth About Marriage

Marriage isn't easy. God never said anything in life would be. He promised us that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt. 11:28-30), but he never said we would be able to ride through life for free.

Photo Courtesy of Ronny Satzke

Nope. When Adam and Eve fell into a life of sin, God promised we'd have to toil in order to survive (Gen. 3:17-19). He said we'd have to fight temptation (Heb. 4:15). He said we'd have to rest in His strength, not our own (2 Corin. 12:9-10).

Marriage is far from happily ever after.

I should know. I've been married for thirteen years. To the same man. Who I love most days and on other days, I want to take a vacation.

My sister-in-law, Lisa, says we have the fairy tale marriage. I fell in love with my best friend's brother. He tried not to fall in love with me. But then he did. The rest, as they say, is history.

But the fairy tale ends when the honeymoon is over, especially when you marry into a step-family situation. The battle begins after the wedding, and many dragons try to turn the marriage relationship into a crispy, burnt out, never-ending nightmare.

Suddenly I found myself having to fight not only my past, but my husband's past, as well. Without proper communication, things turned chaotic. Some days, I felt like I was the only one fighting for us. Not only was I fighting for my husband, but I was fighting for my step-son, too. I prayed. I cried out. I worked through.

And that's exactly what marriage takes: hard work.

Through hard work, my husband and I committed to sticking together, no matter what. Through hard work, we managed through the trials and errors and valleys of our relationship. Through hard work, we learned to effectively communicate with each other. Through hard work, we proved that our relationship could survive time, distance and so much more.

See, my husband just returned from working halfway across the country for six months. It's the longest he's ever been away from the kids and me. It's the longest we've lived without him in our immediate lives. Distance like that doesn't come without temptations and options. Most men he works with would have cheated on or left their wives after being apart that long. After all, how would she ever know? Not my man. No. He loves us to the degree that he lays down his life for us so we can live a better life. And he remains faithful and true.

Through my husband's sacrifice and faithfulness, I get a glimpse of God and how I am the bride of an ever faithful Christ. How much more could I ask for?

I've included this video for you to enjoy today. It's a spoken word performance concerning marriage. The young man hits on several truths about what a marriage should look like if it's a godly marriage. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.