It’s the one piece of advice my mother gave us when we eloped: “No matter what, remember the covenant.”

It’s no secret the journey of marriage will be the most amazing adventure you will ever have. But it will also be the hardest adventure you will ever have. There will be a lot of days filled with laughter and joy and there will be a lot of days filled with screaming matches and angry words. And in those moments…when your spirit is being attacked from every way…that’s when you have to remember why you got married in the first place. That’s when you remember the promise you made to each other. That’s when you remember the covenant you made with God.

Together, we made the highest form of commitment that two individuals could. We didn’t just make promises to each other to be with each other in sickness and in health, while forsaking all others until death do us part. Way more importantly, we made a promise to God to always choose His purpose for our lives over our anger with each other…to always choose grace and forgiveness over perfection and always trying to be right…we made a promise to Him to serve others instead of serving ourselves and to let our marriage be a testimony of His love for us and others. We made a promise to God to keep no records of wrong even when we really want to prove each other wrong so we can “win” an argument. We made a covenant with God to surrender to Him and His will instead of surrendering to our flesh everyday…even if we don’t want to. We made a covenant with God because we believe in Him…because in Him, we see someone who believes in us way more than we believe in ourselves.

Sometimes I look at Ethan and wonder “Why the HECK did I get married?” There are days where it feels like we are stuck in an never-ending cycle of arguing and the small things become humongous things. But if I’m honest, the answer is quite simple. I didn’t marry Ethan just because I love him. I didn’t marry him just because of his adorable smile, his intellect or because he says he loves me. I married Ethan because in him, I see my eternal purpose. When I look at his adorable smile or witness the results of his beautiful mind, I see God’s promise to me. I see something bigger than him and me…I see God. And I believe in what I see so much that I married him not just once, but twice (someone shout GLORY!), each time making a promise to both him and God to work towards that purpose every day of my life for the rest of my life. That isn’t something I take lightly.

Your marriage is going to be attacked. It’s inevitable. You can try to pray it away and hope to God it doesn’t happen..saying “yea, but we don’t argue,” but trust me… it will happen. In your marriage lies the greatest testimony of your life and because of that greatness, it will be tried. In those moments…when you want to smack him upside the head because he just “doesn’t get it” or you want to pack a suitcase and leave because it’s just “not working out,” know that you are not alone. In fact,whether you realize it or not, someone is praying to Jesus for you right now.God has big plans for all of us and you can’t afford to walk away right now.

So no matter what comes your way today, tomorrow, this week, or the rest of your married life, never forget why you two got married in the first place and what your marriage means.Remember that covenant. Not just for you, but for the generations coming after you. They’re depending on you two because they can’t fulfill their purpose without you first fulfilling yours…TOGETHER. 🙂