Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Is Happily Ever After Worth the Struggle? Thankful Posts

Fairytales provide little girls with a false perception of love and marriage. I hate to say it, but there isn't really such a thing as "happily ever after" here on earth. That's only found in the pages of a book.

The truth is that every relationship takes work. Show me one couple - or one family - who has been blessed with "happy" every day of their existence. You can't.

Because despite our best intentions, every one of us has a sinful nature. No one is perfect. Every one of us has a flaw somewhere in our makeup. Even after we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and are covered in the blood of His loving sacrifice, we don't see perfection until we die a physical death. We still make mistakes. We still say stupid things. And we still, against our best intentions, hurt others.

So is marriage worth the effort? Is it worth struggling for the happily ever after?

I would say a resounding yes. Just like every other day of my life, I am thankful today for my husband, Victor. And I am thankful for our marriage.

Over the past 16 years, I have watched our love:
  • Struggle to exist as we've battled through the issues being a step-family brings.
  • Struggle to exist as we developed intimacy with one another.
  • Grow as we endured our struggles.
  • Blossom into a love that covers all sin.
  • Endure despite the enemy's sneaky attempts to destroy it.
I can say right now that I haven't liked my husband every day of our lives together. But I have loved him, no matter what he's said or done.

And he's done the same for me. Recently, I find myself amazed at his patience with me as I've struggled to maintain my composure, wanting to lash out against all that is chaos in my life.

I love organization. I love people who consider one another when they make decisions, since all of our decisions affect someone else. I love stability and consistency. And as life does, it feels as if it's spun into chaos in recent months. Which leaves me stressed, burdened, and exhausted. And even as I go to Jesus and lay it all at His feet, the little things irritate and bubble into eruptions that are difficult to push back and hold down until they fizzle.

Yet love.

Love trusts that this too shall pass. Love understands what lays underneath the irritations and frustrations. Love sees the truth deep within. Love knows and recognizes where the grumpies come from. Love patiently listens, waiting for the divine moment to respond in love. To reveal what the heart searches for. To convict with a gentle touch that brings out the new man. The revelation of who I am and Who is in control.

My husband walks in this love, and I am grateful that God has given me the blessing of him. He isn't afraid to put in the time and do the work that is necessary to hold our three-stranded chord together and keep it from unraveling at the first hint of difficulties ahead. And for that I am eternally grateful. God gave me the man He knew I needed. And Vic isn't afraid to be that man.

I can look forward to my happily ever after with Jesus. And I can experience abundant life here on earth. Every day may not be happy, but every day is filled with the joy of my salvation and the love of Christ. Which my husband exudes.

Tweetable:

 Is "happily-ever-after" worth the struggle? @AlyciaMorales shares her thoughts. #marriage #thankful {Click to Tweet}

Share the Beauty:
What quality does your fiance/husband or the Lord hold that you are thankful for?

3 comments:

  1. Beautiful, Alycia! My husband is shy and withdrawn, the epitome of an engineer - that's what most people see. But with me, he is tender and patient, no matter what flies out of my mouth or what I do. We've struggled, but we have been a solid rock for each other, built on the Lord as our foundation. .

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    Replies
    1. It's amazing how wonderful marriage can be when we keep Jesus in the center, isn't it? How many years have you been married, Sherry?

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    2. 43 years. Sometimes it feels like a short time, other times it seems like forever. A marriage can only succeed if God sustains it and, sadly, that's why the divorce rate is so high today. Many couples don't think they need God.

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