by Sam Chung

Stephanie and I have been married a little under a year upon writing this article. There are days where we still feel like we are in our honeymoon days and there are also days where life together has become the norm. During this past year, there have been many changes and transitions for us, both individually and as a couple. Some of these changes were expected, while others were not. Through it all, we are both thankful to the Lord in sustaining us and sanctifying us. Although it has only been a year, we have already learned so much and grown as a couple in the Lord. The following are a few points in which we would like to share with you:

1. God is The Provider (Exodus 16:31-35; Matthew 6:25-34; Romans 8:31-34; Philippians 4:4-7) – Despite its varying contexts, we see that God always provides for His people, from material, physical needs to our greatest need of salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord. In the same way, there have been many things that we were anxious about that we needed to offer up to God. We were not sure about many things: wedding planning, our housing arrangements, job security for the following year, wedding planning (yes, wedding planning had to be repeated), and the list goes on even still (more housing questions, future children, what I should do for our first anniversary). For example, we had to think about the proper timing of our wedding. I had just finished graduate school and Steph was teaching part time. I had to consider whether or not I was willing to trust in God despite not having a job lined up, or even money saved up for a wedding. What were my reasons for pursuing marriage at that moment, or waiting until a later time? In the end, we were able to remind ourselves, and one another, of our need to continually trust in a loving Father who provides. This is not to say that everything went as we had wanted or as we had planned, but God knew what was best for us, allowing what was necessary to occur. In hindsight, we see that God had always provided throughout our times of anxiety. We are still fighting to trust in God with all things. We remind ourselves that our greatest need has already been provided through Christ: His life, death, and resurrection. We have God’s Word and memorable reminders of God’s provisions already, which we use to redirect our hearts to humble ourselves in times of uncertainty. With these things in mind, we look forward to adding to our memories of how our God continues to provide for us.
2. Marriage Takes Work (Ephesians 5:25-33; Colossians 3:19; 1 Peter 3:7) – This point is one that we were aware of prior to our wedding day. We had gone through the dating and engagement process. We had talked to married couples and gone through premarital counseling. Regardless, this fact brought a whole new meaning when it became even more personal. We quickly displayed to one another our sinfulness and imperfections even more than what we had before. We were really put to the test when we were unable to return to our respective apartments to think through conflicts and return at a later time to resolve them. We had to work things out at that instance, sifting through the emotions and sometimes at the heat of the moment, feet away from each other, to get to the heart issue. We had to put into the practice the commands to love one another, regardless of how we were feeling at that moment. Were we really willing to lay down our own desires and expectations, humbling ourselves, for the service of the other? Even despite seeing how our stance is the (perceived) better one? The reality of two sinners coming together, creating friction became very real, very fast. Although we have had our tough times together already, the commitment to peacemaking and loving one another “til death do us part” brought sweet resolution. We were able to see practical examples of God’s grace that was shown to us. We were able to learn about one another even more in order to serve the other better. We were reminded that God even provided these tough moments to refine us and prune us (John 15:1-17). The hard part is the fact that this is only regarding the two of us! We are still called to love others and serve the church on top of this. We are still working on loving one another better (and will until we die) as well as loving you, the church, better. We trust that it comes with the understanding and willingness to put aside our own desires for our call to love God and people.
3. Marriage is Fun (Genesis 2:18; Proverbs 31:10-31; Ecclesiastes 9:9) – Just as we were aware of the work that is involved with being married, we were also aware that marriage brings a lot of fun. And just as we did not experience the full extent of the work prior to our wedding, we did not experience the full fun that we have been able to share together until we were married. Going back to our first point of reflection, God provided for us with one another. There are many things we enjoy together now. The companionship that we have found in each other is unparalleled to any other relationship on this earth. To name a few, we love eating, watching TV, eating, laughing, eating, serving and talking together. There are also areas in which we can serve one another because we are better at it. Steph is much cleaner and more organized than I am. I have the physical capabilities of killing spiders. She cooks well. I eat well. She laughs at virtually anything remotely funny. I say things that are remotely funny. Apart from my salvation in Christ, my marriage has been one of the highlights of my life. God provided for me with a spouse, a friend, a partner in ministry, and so much more packaged into 1 person. Marriage is fun and we are excited to see what God has in store for us as we continue on this walk of life together.

These three points are not all comprehensive of our reflections of marriage thus far, but they have been huge themes for us in the past year. God has provided (and will provide) for us, marriage takes work, and marriage is fun. We praise and thank God for our marriage because He is the one who sustains us. We hope that you were encouraged by our reflections from our one-year of marriage and continue to love and serve the Lord together with us.