Marriage

Guest article by: Mary Olds

One Sunday, as my husband and I were leaving church, a young couple approached us. The husband avoided eye contact, and was a bit uncomfortable, as the young woman politely asked, “what’s your secret to a good marriage?” She told us for years they’d watched us lovingly hold hands as we sat together in church.

What they couldn’t see was the nights we’d stayed up arguing about our teenage son, or that on the way to church we fought, or that my husband was steaming over the recent Nordstrom bill, or how hurt I was that he had just booked a hunting trip… on our anniversary.

We’re not actors at church, we are a couple finding solace in the word of God, comfort in the prayers, and solutions to our problems by seeking Jesus.

We are stubborn people who can stay up late debating to prove our point, but I remember what my mother told me regarding Dad, “it’s hard to get angry at dad when everything he does, he does with for our family’s welfare.”My husband and I both make mistakes or sometimes say the wrong thing, but we are in for the long haul. We are committed. He’s got integrity and honesty, that is hard to find these days. He would step out in front of a moving train for me or any of our family. He always has my back and that’s great to know and count on.

So, when you see that loving couple and think, “the grass is greener,” remember the commitment they have made “for better or worse.” Look for the battle wounds, and be assured, you’ve got what it takes to have an enduring marriage. It starts by putting your hand in his clumsy paw and knowing you’ve got each others back for the long haul!