Marriage is for better or for worse. When we’re young, in love, and a little foolish, we can’t imagine that “for worse” will ever come! We enter marriage thinking our spouses are going to be the balm for all our wounds. Sometimes they are, but other times, a spouse is like a diagnosing hand, pushing on your arm to see exactly where it’s broken. Ouch! But ultimately, the goal is healing.
Divorce statistics are often misunderstood. 50% of the people who get married do not end up divorced. 50% of marriages end up in divorce because so many people get married and divorced multiple times. Every time the person they fall in love opens their wounds and diagnoses their weakness they take off again.
When you’re facing hard times and romantic phrases feel forced, try these words: “I choose you.” Sometimes that’s more profound than “I love you” because sometimes, we just don’t feel the love. But as our marriages grow we understand that love is a choice. What we are saying in those moments where we don’t feel the love is, “I choose you.” That’s a more profound expression of love than you could have ever uttered when you were young and infatuated. And your faithfulness is also how God will heal you.
