The Covenant We Said “I Do” To

 

Marriage is one of the most beautiful—and most challenging—covenants we will ever enter into. Over time, both people change. We grow, we evolve, and if we aren’t truly paying attention to our spouse, one day we can look across the table and wonder, Who is this person?

 

But here’s the truth: if we stay close, engaged, and intentional, we’ll notice those changes as they happen. We might even head off some struggles before they become mountains.

 

When we stood before God and said “I do,” we entered into a covenant, not just a contract. And I know many people who say, “I’ve held my end of the covenant, but my spouse hasn’t.” If that’s you, I challenge you to look at your relationship with Christ. God has a covenant with us—one we break daily through sin—and yet He remains faithful. We do not deserve His grace, His mercy, or His unconditional love, but He gives them anyway.

 

Yes, we’re not God. It’s harder for us. But if we dismiss our role in the covenant because “it’s different for God,” then we’re missing His calling for us. A covenant is a covenant.

 

God once spoke something into my life that changed everything: “Quit focusing on what your wife’s not doing for you and focus on what you’re not doing for your wife.” That hit me hard. I realized that because I felt she wasn’t initiating date nights or certain gestures, I had quietly stopped doing them myself. If she’s not doing it and now I’m not doing it—then no one’s doing it.

 

Here’s the thing: if at least one person is still working on the marriage and God is at the center, change is possible. It may be slow, it may be difficult, but it starts with us. We lead with grace, mercy, and love—the same way God in Christ loves us—and we trust Him to stir the same in our spouse.

 

Marriage is worth fighting for. It’s a long road, but the most worthwhile things always are.

 

“We love because He first loved us.” – 1 John 4:19 (CJB)

 

-Rev Carlos Figueroa