Why I Still Believe in a Happy Marriage

I believe in being happily married. I do.

Not because we have a perfect one.

In fact, with the incredible journey we are experiencing in our lives right now, we are walking our most difficult year of marriage yet.

Moving, role changes, job changes, travel, finances, instability… they are all major causes of stress for any marriage… even ours.

Yes. even ours.

We don’t always feel happily married.

We aren’t picture perfect. We aren’t impervious to struggles or arguments or disagreements.

In fact, we did a little note passing a few nights ago because we were having a hard time discussing something in words and needed to sort things out on paper.

Marriage is hard.

But… we believe in marriage. We believe in being happily married.

We believe in fighting for our marriage every day.

One reader on my last post made the point that it is the most important relationship of our lives yet we seem to focus on everything but our marriages. We so easily give up on what God has joined together.

Even after walking our hardest year…

Even while walking into the unknowns of harder years yet to come…

I still believe in marriage.

I will fight for it. I will work at it. I will learn and grow and delve into the reality that for this to work, we both must humble ourselves in such a way that glorifies God in everything we do.

God created marriage for a purpose. For a reason.

Just as there are some called to singleness… we have been called into this marriage. Good days. Bad days. Called by God to persevere.

In her book, Fawn talks about how being happily married is a choice.

She says, “It may not always be an easy choice. Or an obvious choice. But it is a simple choice.”

Thankfully, I married a pretty joyful guy. He is bundles of fun wrapped in unending energy. He is full of excitement and crazy ideas and wild adventures. Nothing is off limits. He will do and try and go and be… all in an effort to enjoy this big, wonderful world God has created.

Choosing to go along on this journey of life with him is a daily choice to accept the happiness that God intended when He joined us together as man and wife.

Happiness in marriage is a choice.

It is a decision to believe that marriage is good and right and a blessing. It means cherishing the value of marriage and accepting the daily challenges with grace. It is knowing that happiness doesn’t always feel happy. Sometimes it is a deep, abiding knowledge of love and a hope for new days to come.

Happiness in marriage means choosing to keep your eyes on the goal that God is using marriage to do something amazing in your life.

Even if you don’t see it. or feel it. or sense His hand at work.

He is.

Choose happiness.

Choose to love your spouse in a way that tells him you believe in YOUR marriage and you choose to enjoy life with him.

Whatever that life may bring…