In Sickness and In Health

 


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Yes to God's Design for Marriage

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It’s funny how the people closest to you can see love forming before you ever recognize it. My best friend saw James’s devotion long before I did once James stayed in the ER with her, refusing to leave her alone, even though he only knew her name. There was always something about the way James looked at me. Something that felt good, sincere - something that felt like home. It was then I suddenly realized - maybe love had been there all along. Maybe I had just been too guarded to see it.  Love doesn’t always arrive with grand gestures. Sometimes it arrives quietly through consistency, loyalty, gentleness, and a steady presence that you didn’t realize had become essential to your life. I believe God's design for love is similar to how he created sunrises. The sun reveals itself slowly at first, then suddenly everything is flooded with light. The sunrise is like a glimpse at greatness, followed by the fulfillment of God's promise.  Our love story was a whirlwind that wasn’t chaot...
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God's Example of Love: Faithful Commitment

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You know that heart-skipping, exciting feeling you called love when you met your spouse? Think back to the long conversations, laughter, and desire to always be together. Beautiful, isn’t it? We often confuse those fleeting feelings, or emotions, with love. But here’s the truth: feeling like these are largely reactions to stimuli with responses that is not meant to last forever. Choice always outlasts emotion. This week, we are continuing our theme of teaching love as a choice. Thankfully, God's example of love is not based on fleeting feelings but on faithful commitment. We were created in His image and must also love others as He loves us. Yes, your love may have began as a spark. But science and Scripture both confirm that real love endures because it’s chosen. The consensus of research related to relationship science estimates that the brain’s “in love” chemical cocktail — dopamine, norepinephrine, and oxytocin has an average peak range of  6 to 24 months. Of course, this phase...
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Commitment Feels Different When It’s Rooted in Gratitude

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Real talk family. How do you define commitment? Some people only recognize commitment when they struggle with it. But commitment is not about staying in the struggle. It is about the daily choice to love, live, remain, and sustain. When you are grateful for your spouse, staying isn’t a burden but a privilege. When you value your relationship, staying committed and choosing your spouse doesn’t feel heavy because it is rooted in appreciation instead of obligation. Commitment isn’t simply enduring but rather building and sustaining a love that will last. You become protective of your relationship. You enjoy time together to naturally nurture what you’re becoming. In our story, a strong, healthy relationship wasn’t built overnight. Our relationship grew through our daily decisions. It took effort and the willingness, patience, and grace to learn each other deeply and to love the good, bad, and the ugly. Then what started with chemistry matured into covenant. That’s the beauty of marriage....
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