Have you ever heard of someone saying marriage is just too easy?  I haven’t.  Author Gary Thomas recently wrote, “Beauty is often birthed in struggle.”  When we struggle for or through something we often tend to appreciate it far more.  I was working full-time, going to graduate school full-time, and being a husband and father while at the same time building our home with a friend – yes, literally pounding the nails.  It was one of the most challenging and demanding times of my life.  But the rewards, well, they were great.   As tough as it was, I didn’t walk away from any of my responsibilities because they were too difficult.

Imagine your Christian walk being trouble-free, without challenge and a life of ease.  While the desire for ease is often a dream, rarely is it an opportunity.  But, should it be?  Struggles make us stronger.  Challenges create perseverance.  A forced dependence upon our Creator through prayer and a growing relationship matures us.  Otherwise we remain unseasoned and immature.  The same is true of marriage.  When it gets tough and there are very real problems, God does not desire to rescue us so we do not face them, but rather He desires to walk us through them victoriously, maturing our marriages in the process.  In reality we should be thanking God for the opportunities in which marriage allows us to grow and mature.