This past weekend marked the fourth month that Austin and I have been married. While I cannot pretend that I know everything about relationships or that I know an inkling of the challenges the married life consists of, I can tell of my experiences thus far.
Marriage has been one of the most rewarding experiences in my life. The joys of marriage have been overwhelming, and adjusting to a new life has been good. I will not say that it is easy, because it certainly isn't. It brings together two different people, two unique personalities, two fluctuating schedules, two sets of emotions, two upbringings, two diverse opinions, and two collections of habits. It would be foolish to think that everything would be peaches & cream all of the time. However, because we have had to overcome these complexities, it has strengthened our relationship. All of the differences between us have created opportunities to problem solve, compromise, and to learn to love the other another layer deeper.
Something that I've learned about marriage is that it exposes the areas that you need to work on. Areas to grow & mature, and maybe an area where you need to learn to admit that you're wrong. It's not that your spouse is exposing your weaknesses, they're just trying to help you become a better version of yourself. To bring out the best in you, I suppose. Austin has been so great at addressing issues that I tend to want to shove into the corner, and while I may not like it at the time, I believe that it is this openness that will help build a strong foundation for our family.
Marriage is also teaching me about selfless love. A love like Jesus'. All that I can say is that one really never sees how selfish they are until they have to make joint decisions on practical things like money to unimportant things like what comforter should go onto the bed. We all have a tendency to make a decision based off of what would make ourselves more comfortable, not taking any consideration of anyone else. However, this mindset doesn't work in a marriage. It's all about serving the other with a cheerful heart. It's not easy, but we are to love our spouses in the the way that Christ loves the church, and that is with a selfless, sacrificing love. God's still helping me overcome my personal selfishness.
While this is just an idea of the challenges of marriage, the joys outweigh the challenges. Growing together, learning about the other, and experiencing life together has been wonderful. I cannot wait to see what all God has in store for us.
For now,
Rachel Papp
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