We make a vow to love our spouse “in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, and in good times and in bad.”

What we do not always realize when reciting those vows is what the future holds . . . 

The miscarriage that shattered both of your hearts.

The times where your bank account had absolutely nothing to show for all your hard work.

The times when your spouse doesn’t even seem to notice you.

The times when thunderstorms rage and your child is screaming bloody murder, removing “sleep” yet again from your vocabulary.

The times when you have absolutely no idea why you went to school for a Master’s degree where you accrued so much debt.

The times when you were so fearful because your bills were falling further and further behind.

Life happens. Marriages face difficult and shaky times. You go through seasons of feeling unwanted by your spouse, not necessarily because of anything he is doing, but because you are facing your own identity crisis. But, if we only held on to all the negative things that happen in marriage, marriages would not last at all.

What we tend to forget is . . . 

How faithful God is during the most trying times of your marriage.

That God brought you together, to hold hands during the ups and downs of life.

How beautiful it is to go on a date and focus on one another rather than your endless to-dos.

To walk hand in hand on the beach at night.

That your life partner is your biggest cheerleader and with you through the roller coasters of life.

That we do have someone there for us when we are debating on whether to get tested for a genetic disease we could have.

That God is and should be the glue of your marriage, filling the cracks when things start falling apart.

When facing difficult times, financial strains, and uncertainty of what the future holds–we need to be reminded of the sanctity of marriage.

We need to be reminded that we are so blessed to be married to someone who sees us without makeup, in our sweatpants, downing pizza on a Friday night like there is no tomorrow.

We need to be reminded to slow dance together, write love notes and sneak them in our spouse’s lunch box, and not to let all of the misfortunes of today ruin our tomorrows.

We need to be reminded not to give up on fighting for our marriage, loving our spouse unconditionally, and committing to pray for them daily.

Originally published on the author’s blog