I will never forget the moment when I walked down the isle towards my college sweetheart and best friend.
Phil Wickham’s “You’re Beautiful” filled the air, each lyric echoing the sacredness of the day. Chairs were filled with family and friends. A golden sunset spread across the sky, making the botanic garden picture perfect.
It was like a fairy tale.
But what I didn’t know — what no one tells you in the celebration — is that love, real love, is forged not in the garden, but in the fire.
God, not you, made marriage. His Spirit inhabits even the smallest details of marriage. So, guard the spirit of marriage within you. Malachi 2:14-15 (MSG)
Marriage is a joy and a true gift from God. It mirrors Christ’s covenant with the Church.
If you have been married for a while you know that there will be ups and downs- that’s normal. If you can resolve conflict respectfully, learn to forgive and get rid of your unrealistic expectations, your marriage will thrive.
But what happens if your marriage goes up in flames?
That’s what happened to us along the way. The fairy tale I had written in my mind collapsed in a single sentence.
I wonder if you have experienced a moment like that. A moment where you are left thinking, “What now, God?”
What I want the hurting couple to know is:
If your marriage isn’t abusive – It’s worth fighting for.
The devil wants to destroy marriages and kill the family unit.
Even if you have biblical grounds for divorce, saving your marriage is possible! I have seen other couples reconcile. That’s our story and it can be your story too. This is the very reason why we share our testimony! We want to help couples and show that life after betrayal can be better than before.
God has a history of rewriting stories, making them better than fairy tales.
In His story, instead of destroying us in the fire, he used the fire to bring us to our knees.
In His story, there wasn’t a prince and princess, instead he used 2 broken people who learned how to trust in HIM.
In His story, forgiveness was possible.
In His story, our family stayed together.
In His story, he used our marriage to help others.
In His story, he showed us real love.
God can work miracles.
The verse we had read at our wedding was 1 John 4:7-12:
Let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Since God so loved us, we ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.
God was never surprised by our fire. When we stood face to face, eyes locked, saying “I do,” He already knew what was ahead. He knew the verses we’d cling to. He knew we’d need reminders of His faithfulness.
In the thick of it, I felt held—cared for by a God who never left my side. And in that sacred space, I saw my husband loving me the way God does: unwavering & sacrificial.
Love isn’t a fairy tale or fleeting butterflies. It’s a reflection of God’s heart—choosing daily to pour out His kind of love onto your spouse.
Thirteen years later, we’re still standing, still growing, still celebrating the goodness of God.
Our prayer is simple: that His love would radiate through our marriage. If sharing our unfiltered journey helps even one couple turn to God and find restoration, then every step has been worth it.
If your marriage is struggling, today is a good day to surrender and give it to the Lord.
Dear God,
Thank you for the gift of marriage. I pray for the couple reading this that is struggling in their marriage that something would stir in their heart to turn to you. I pray that they will begin to pray for each other. I pray that you will make a way for reconciliation. God, I pray over all the broken marriages, and bitter hearts. I pray that you will soften hearts so forgiveness can take place. God, I know restoration is possible and I thank you for healing my heart. I pray someone else will be healed today and a marriage will be restored. Thank you for meeting us right where we are and showing us how to love. Amen.
