Just keep going!

I feel sorry for couples who don't struggle through the hard days.  Yes, I know there are marriages that simply can't endure for a hundred different reasons, but for the most part the issues that bring divorce would fade if you just stay with it, just keep going, keep loving, keep forgiving.....endure.

Marriage is hard at times, but the great days are so worth the difficult ones.  A quarrel in the moment will pass, but a faithful endurance will find rich rewards.  Don't give up on your marriage...forgive, work it out, get some help and fix the difficult days it will be worth it.

When I meet with a couple for pre-marriage counseling I ask, "So what will you do if it doesn't work out?"  The answer to that question, without them knowing it, will determine whether I marry them or not.  If we have an exit ramp planned already it cannot endure, but when they say to me, "we will work it out, we are not going to divorce" then there is hope.  Of course they have no idea how hard it will be at times, but at least that have made a good decision about the days ahead.

All these thoughts are vivid for me as my wife and I come up to an anniversary.  We met in mid November and married mid February less than three months later.  There is no way we knew each other.  It was much like an arranged marriage.  We literally grew up together.  There were hard days, really hard days...but here we are...41 years later.  

I can't tell you how blessed I am to be married to this wonderful woman.  I often tell people, "you know how I know God loves me? He gave me my amazing wife."  Was it always this good? NO!  It was hard, frustrating, and there were days we both wondered if we would make it....but we just kept going.

And now we reap the rich blessing of faithfulness.  So when you hit difficult days in your marriage don't quit, don't give up, don't walk away, just keep going.  It will be worth it.