Reflections on Marriage and Relationships

Marriage - I find it funny when women are embarassed to admit that they have issues in their marriage because they don't want to be judged. In general, women are defined by their families, children, and marriages. Men are defined by their jobs, money, and success. If a woman has marital problems, it looks like she has failed. Most normal couples experience ups and downs. It's not about the number of arguments or what they're about; it's about how you recover from them. (In the book that I am currently reading, the author stated that children not only need to see their parents argue, but they need to see them reconcile so that they may learn how to do the same.) I will admit that my husband and I have had our own, especially since the kids were born. Since their birth, I have changed as a person and as a wife. Things that were once low on my list of priorities have become more important and vice versa. Church, family, relationships, and health have become increasingly important to me because I want them to be important to my children. My husband and I don't always agree on the level of importance among these issues and it's tough. Do these arguments mean that I failed? I don't think so. If anything, I think it makes us more successful as a couple because we realign ourselves to the same page.

Relationships - I knew that my husband wasn't a Christian when I married him. What was important to me at the time was how he treated me and others around him, not the label or whether he went to church every week. As I reflect back on my decision, I know that I made the right one. Not to say that it isn't still challenging for me, but it was the right decision for me. My husband treats me and our children better than any of the church-going Christian guys that I dated in college. Why is that? I still haven't been able to answer that question. I will admit that I don't go to church on a regular basis but that doesn't make me any less of a Christian than someone who attends regularly. On that note, I generally prefer the atmosphere of a church because of the networking and support that it provides. I love the activities for kids and I love having like-minded people around. It definitely makes the journey with God a lot easier.
Good night :)