It's a great book, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is in the engagement season of life. But more than that, it is a great time of encouragement and it's one of my favorite things.
The first time Jason and I went through it with some friends, we started meeting when I was pregnant with Sarah. We would meet once every 3 months or so, so the time frame spanned over Sarah being born, me having surgery, me being in constant pain, physical therapy, blah, blah, blah and the list goes on. Needless to say, it was a very stressful time in our life and in our marriage. Almost every time we were about to meet, I just thought it was comedic that we were about to sit with our engaged friends and talk about marriage when I felt like our was "at it's worst!"
One time, we were getting things ready for our time together and I told Jason I wasn't going. Ha! I told him he could do the counseling session without me for all I cared. Poor guy, that would have been so awkward for him having to explain why I wasn't there. Thankfully for him, and for me, I went and we had a great visit.
Jason always does such a good job in talking about marital issues and I respect every word he says because I know he believes it and I know he tries.
Try as we all may, marriage is hard. If you are married and you are reading this, you know what I am talking about. If you don't know what I am talking about, you will know one day. Trust me. Jason and I used to laugh and say that we didn't understand why everyone thought that marriage was hard. Our marriage was a breeze, what could be so hard about it?! And then the test of time prevailed, and we have definetely had times where we say, "this is HARD."
What I am learning though is that hard is ok. One of the first things the book we go through talks about is the purpose of marriage and believe it or not, the purpose isn't about our own personal happiness and fulfillment. Whew, I am thankful for that because I know I have failed at giving Jason's life fulfillment and happiness!
It's a design that God put together that reflects Himself and that brings glory to Himself. Every time I think about that, or read about it in scripture, I am reminded at how petty some of the little things that I get so tripped up on can be!
"How can you use that tone with me??" "What, are you saying I am dumb??" And the list goes on.
Looking at marriage from a biblical perspective reminds me to keep fighting that good fight. It reminds me to see the bigger picture and let the little things be little things.
I'm thankful that I get to be married to Jason and that we get to be on this journey of life together. I'm thankful for hard things and for God's bigger picture.
God, please help us to protect and fight for our marriages. They are a gift and they are purposeful, even when things are HARD.
If you don't know or believe what marriage is all about, or you are wondering if maybe yours is the exception and has no value, I highly recommend this book, or anything put out by Family Life.
Keep fighting friends! And loving for that matter! It's worth it...
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