Christina and I are not the same people we were in 2002, the year we stood before God and witnesses and declared our covenant of love for one another. As age and life has ticked by, we have both matured. In a sense, because we were relatively young when we married, we have grown up together. But our personal growth is not due entirely to the natural flow of life. No, we have both experienced spiritual transformation at the hands of Jesus Christ. He has shaped and molded us over the years.

No two people are alike, and if by some miracle they are, they won’t automatically like each other for it. We are people with brokenness, sinful desires, and bad histories, so it is inevitable conflict will come. Christina and I have our fair share of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and selfishness. Fortunately, we always get back to forgiveness, communication, and love. Rather than stay stuck in a crazy cycle of conflict, we have found there are attitudes which underpin a healthy relationship.

In a passage touching on the subject of money, Jesus introduced a fascinating concept. He said humans' hearts follow their money (“treasure”). This truth is interesting because it seems we’d like to think it’s the other way around, that we spend our time and treasure on whatever our heart is into, but this is not so. Wherever we spend our time and treasure, eventually our heart will follow. Christina and I have used this truth to help us continually grow in our marriage.

When I was a boy, I loved to play with model trains. I remember learning about the engine, the car that pulled everyone else, but also the caboose, the car in the back at the end of the line. There were cars in the middle, but the engine was at the front, and the caboose was at the back, always… (5 Minutes / 900 Words)

No two people are alike, and if by some miracle they are, they won’t automatically like each other for it. We are people with brokenness, sinful desires, and bad histories, so it is inevitable conflict will come. Christina and I have our fair share of misunderstandings, hurt feelings, and selfishness. Fortunately, we always get back to forgiveness, communication, and love. (5 Minutes / 1000 Words)