If you’ve been following the blog here you know that our youngest son was about to get married. Well, the blessed day arrived this past Saturday and it was a FANTASTIC occasion of love, family and friends. We could not be more happy for our wonderful son and beautiful daughter-in-law!! God was truly in this relationship from the beginning and He will remain faithful to them and all of us.

As the Father of the Groom I didn’t have a lot of responsibilities, mostly jumping in where needed. But I do have a few thoughts…and they are applicable to all marriages.

Enjoy the Day…and the Rest of the Days

Some couples plan for their weddings in a few months and others plan for a year, two years or more. It’s an important event. It’s one of the most important events in a married couple’s lives. But it’s one day. Marriages don't succeed or fail based on whether or not they have a perfect wedding. Click To Tweet Marriages don’t succeed or fail based on whether or not they have a perfect wedding. Marriages depend on what happens every day. If you love your wife every day then your wedding day will be the first special day of your marriage, but it won’t necessarily be the most special. Build on the past and move forward together into the future.

Keep Your Vows

During the ceremony you made promises to your spouse. Perhaps your vows included to love, honor and cherish. This may be the most simple advice I can give. Keep your vows. When you learn she doesn’t like something that is important to you, keep your vows. When he STILL has that annoying habit five years later, keep your vows. When all you want to do is scream into your pillow because you just don’t understand what is going on, keep your vows. I promise you, I PROMISE you, if you’ll commit to keeping your vows every day that marriage gets easier over time. It gets better. You may think that the love you felt on your wedding day was incredible, but it’s nothing compared to the love of two people who keep their commitment no matter the circumstances.

“Enjoy the wife you married as a young man!
Lovely as an angel, beautiful as a rose—
    don’t ever quit taking delight in her body.
    Never take her love for granted!“

-Proverbs 5:18b-19 (MSG)

Embrace Change

As your marriage grows there will be change. Each of you will grow intellectually (assuming you continue to read), you will change physically, there may be children who come into your lives, you will develop passions in new areas and so will your spouse. These are beautiful things. You don’t want to have a stagnant life and marriage. As the changes come don’t just accept them, embrace them! Get excited to learn new things from and about each other. Lean in to the curves that show up in your marriage. Draw closer to each other as you plunge into your future together.

Trust God

If you remember nothing else from this post remember this. God is for your marriage. Click To Tweet God IS for your marriage! He wants it to be a shining example of His love flowing through the two of you. He know what He is doing and it’s all for your good. You will see challenges and difficulties. Being married doesn’t shield you from hardship, but it does give you someone with whom to share your tears. If your spouse loves you enough to commit to you for life, then how much more must God love you…He created you to live with Him for eternity. In the fun and excitement, stay close to God. In the times of trial, stay close to God. In all times stay close to God.

“Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”

-Isaiah 12:2 (NIV)

So remember:

• Enjoy the Day…and the Rest of the Days
• Keep Your Vows
• Embrace Change
• Trust God

Love you all!

-Troy