On June 30, my wonderful husband and I will have been married for 28 years. We met in Ecuador while he was on a mission trip, and we developed a sweet friendship as we wrote back and forth. 

But a year and a half later when he flew back to visit me, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. I really wanted something special to happen because he seemed to be an amazing man in so many ways. He loved God, was a gentleman, adored my family, wrote to me faithfully, and was very smart and handsome, too. However, I was convinced I didn’t feel anything for him and actually tried to get my cousin to go out with him instead. He’d come all this way, and I didn’t want the trip to end poorly for him.

But then something happened. One day I got down on my knees and cried out to God to give me a special kind of love for Leon—but only if he was the one I should marry. And that is exactly what God did. A short time later, deep in my heart, I knew my prayers were answered and I’d found the man I’d been waiting for. 

Leon asked me to be his girlfriend that same day. He had to use a Spanish dictionary, and I helped him say some of the words.

Covenant Empowers Marriage

Marriage isn’t only roses and romance. At the beginning of my marriage with Leon, it seemed easy to compromise and make personal sacrifices. As the years went by, however, Leon and I started disagreeing on more topics, such as parenting, home improvements, church styles, and social commitments. 

Every marriage goes through “growing periods.” There will be hard times, confusing times, times when you’re really not sure what’s going on, and times when you have to apologize for something you’re still mad about. There could even be times when you start thinking that maybe your marriage was a mistake; perhaps you should have made a different choice.

But in every marriage, there is a saving grace. When we realize marriage is a covenant, we step into a powerful force that helps bind us together. The nature of covenant propels us forward, hand in hand with this other person. 

When we marry, a profound spiritual union takes place. Though Adam and Eve were two unique creations, God bound them by a common identity, a kind of intimacy nothing else in creation had experienced. They became “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). In biblical terms, that is a covenant. I am one fleshwith my husband. We are “together” in a way that is unique and beautiful and as solid as iron. And today, I love my husband more than I imagined possible the day I married him. 

Covenant Provides Divine Assistance

Your covenant with your spouse actually rests upon three people, not just two. It is made up of you, your spouse, and God Himself, which is how you know the covenant will work—because God is a member and He will do anything to help you.

If you ask Him, He will be there to give you hope and wisdom, to help you grow in humility and ask for forgiveness. He will help you grow in the areas you need to, become a more understanding spouse, and love unconditionally. He will help you keep working at your marriage and keep pursuing your spouse, because that is the foundation of your partnership with this person: your heart and their heart, caring for each other. 

In a manner of speaking, marriage actually does have the ability to make everything better, because we are learning and growing in intimacy with each other and with Jesus Christ. 

This is our prayer, blessing, and impartation to the many couples we pray for and the singles we mentor: that they will have a solid marriage completely founded on the love of God. The love two people have for one another comes from God as they make Him part of their covenant. It’s a love that never ends. So when couples lose hope, we know this is not God’s will for them, because He gives us more love and hope when we ask Him to help us and as we pursue Him and each other.

May You Be Blessed

Twenty-eight years after saying, “I do,” Leon and I will once again celebrate our covenant with God and each other. Our children will be there; we will get to see my beautiful homeland of Ecuador again during this trip, and we look forward to the memories we will make with family and friends. 

In addition, I am pleased to announce that the Spanish version of my book, LLegando a ser Uno: Uno con Dios, Uno en el Matrimonio, will come out while we are in Ecuador. 

Leon and I are in awe of God’s goodness and mercy, which follow us all the days of our lives, just like the Word of God says (Psalm 23:6). We are in awe of His love for us and our marriage covenant. No matter the circumstances, the few downs and the many ups, we choose to celebrate every day for the rest of our lives because God is in the center of our marriage and our hearts.

May your marriage be protected by the love of Jesus and the tender care you have for each other. Abundant blessings to you.

And happy anniversary to the love of my life. 

For more information on sex, marriage, and finding the person who is right for you, get a copy of Becoming the One by Salomé Roat. Click here to learn more.