Our first year of marriage was honestly our biggest test. By that time we had already been together almost 7 years and had four children. From the outside it probably looked like we had it all figured out… but behind the scenes we were carrying a lot of brokenness. We both came into marriage with baggage, past hurts, and things we didn’t yet know how to communicate through. There were moments when it would have been easier to walk away than to keep doing the work. But God. Somewhere along the way we realized something that shifted everything for us. Our marriage had to become bigger than our pride, our past, and our pain. So we started leaning on God. On His Word. On prayer. And even now, 16 years later and 9 children in, we still make time to grow together. Lately before bed we’ve been reading The Bait of Satan together, and it has sparked some really honest conversations between us about offense, forgiveness, and protecting the unity of our marriage. Because the truth is… offense is one of the quickest ways the enemy can create distance between two people who love each other. Marriage doesn’t stay healthy by accident. It requires intention. Grace. Patience. And a willingness to keep choosing each other. Still growing. Still learning. Still choosing each other. Anything worth having is worth fighting for. marriage marriedcouple marriagelife coupleschallenge couples