Our IMPERFECT Marriage
May 31, 2003
It’s a date I will never forget. The day that Kira officially committed to be my wife and I officially committed to be her husband. We’ve been married for a little over 19 years now, and here is what we know…
Our marriage is IMPERFECT. It has always been imperfect, and it always will be. But we are good with that. No marriage is perfect. Sometimes marital struggles we have tried to conquer make us all the more vulnerable. Nevertheless, Kira and I believe that our struggles validate our ability to help others all the more and that the help we offer is highly valuable. But we are not the only ones. There are many marriages around you that can help, and you can probably use your marriage to help other couples. How can you use your marriage to help others? Here are a couple of possibilities:
- Set an example. Keep your marriage in check and in good standing. Struggling couples need to know that marriages can work and that it’s worth it to work on it. They need to see clear examples of what a healthy marriage looks like. They need to see strong husbands leading and loving their wives and sweet wives supporting and caring for their husbands. This needs to be seen so that they believe it is possible and they, too, can have the same thing. We must show the world that Jesus makes all the difference in our marriages. No marriage is perfect. Only Jesus is perfect, but marriage can be amazing with proper attention and love! Our church, community, and country need to see couples with a strong, steadfast commitment to each other and their love. Our love and grace must be evident even in the middle of our imperfections.
- Encourage other couples. Look for another married couple that you can encourage. Go out on double dates. Babysit each other’s kids so that the other couple can go out. Talk about what works and what does not work in your marriage. Be committed to lifting up another couple, encouraging them with words of affirmation, love, and support. Pray for other couples. Celebrate their wedding anniversaries and promote healthy faithfulness to each other, and you are faithfully serving Jesus together. The encouragement you give takes the moments of imperfection and makes them bearable as you endure greater moments later in a marriage. It might be the next hour, next week, or next year. But encourage other couples to keep going even when they are imperfect.
These two possibilities are very much related to encourage you to realize that your marriage is not nor will it ever be perfect, but you can still make the best of it and use it to make a difference in your relationship with your spouse and perhaps in the relationships around you.
Kira and I are committed to each other, but we are also committed to helping others in their marriages. If you need help, please reach out and talk to us. We will be glad to help you.
1 Corinthians 11:1 says, “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.”
Not that we are perfect but we are trying to serve the one who is.
I love you,
Alex