What Use Is Marriage?

With a smile, I write, what use is marriage. First I note, story books say “they got married and lived happily ever after.” I would read to my young children “they got married and through a lot of work on the marriage lived happily ever after.”

Now after 22 years of marriage, I could say that the use is three amazing kids and a lot of sex.  Both may be true, but that is not my main thought, nor was it then.

How could I know anyone so different than myself so well – without commitment for a lifetime. I could see a whole new world through her life.   Through this, I had to and could grow as a person. I had to face my gaps and faults.  Gladly, I have become a more caring and understanding person. At the wedding, I had plans to spread the good news in tandem with this amazing women, and that has worked out well off and on through all the challenges of these years.

What Use Is Marriage? Much In Every Way

By myself in China, I was near hopeless on spreading the Word in any sustainable way. With my dear wife, we are a great team to touch and draw people. Sometimes, we will falter and take a break, but the path leads to fruit as teamwork of us as a couple leads to fruit that lasts.   Also, together, God keeps  changing by the reflection of the other at different stages of life.

Notably, we both see that it took loads of counseling to get us this far. We are both first generation Christians from slightly or very dysfunctional homes.  I would marry her again in a heartbeat and handle things better for sure. However, the adventure we have together just as it is is worth the troubles for sure.

We are partly empty nesters at this point. We look forward to it with hopeful eyes.

Welcome to pray for the college student guys who are considering faith. Only the combination of my wife and I can plant these seeds, but it is always God that makes it grow.