Young women, if you are reading this, it is because God has something to say to you about marriage and about loving your husband.

God wants you to experience oneness and love in your marriage, and yet He knows that you may not experience intimacy, and at times find it difficult– if not impossible– to truly love you husband.

Why?  Because you married a human being.  (Your husband also married a human being.)

Marriage will expose both of your humanness in a way that nothing else will.  It will expose the areas where God made you in His own image, and the areas where sin has been allowed to grow and rule.  It will expose your sinfulness and selfishness and your husband’s sinfulness and selfishness. (And if I am being perfectly honest–it is much easier for me to see my husband’s faults than it is for me to see my own, and vice versa.)

At times, you will wonder, “who is this person I married?”—he will seem such a stranger to you.

At times you will wonder, “who am I, and why am I acting this way? I seem such a stranger to myself”.

This is what I know, after being married for 31 years—it is God who has brought my husband and I to this point—I mean that in every way.  We have raised 5 children together and lost a son, we have experienced sorrow so terrible—it seemed we could not go on and joy so great, we rejoiced in our life; we have weathered many storms in life—and believe me when I say that every day, sometimes moment by moment, we choose to hang on to God.

So, if I could give you any advice, any advice—it is—hang on, hang on—to God and to each other.  Sometimes it will seem as if you are riding the rapids of life, and you are—so hang on!!  

When you don’t think you can hang on for one more minute–read 1 Corinthians 13, and ask God to show you how to love your husband.  Thank Him for loving you as He describes it in 1 Corinthians 13— and ask Him to fill you up with His love.

He will!!  And while we may, with our limited strength, be hanging onto God, please know that He is always holding onto us with His infinite strength, and He won’t let go!! So Be Encouraged!!