As newlyweds begin to face challenges and experience bumps in the road, it’s all too easy to believe the lie that your experience is unique or you have to fight through it alone. Learning how to find other believing couples who are two-years, five-years, 30-years ahead of you, can provide vital support that you need to cheer on your marriage and give long-term perspective.
All newlyweds face initial adjustments or difficulties in the early stages of their marriage, but the key is how we respond and learn from those difficulties for the next round of trials and adjustments life will bring.
Just as conflict is inevitable between two married sinners, external trials and hardships are also to be expected. It’s not a question of “if”, but “when”. So how do we respond to external trials that impact our marriages? How do we shift expectations and position ourselves to grow closer together through the trials rather than drift apart?
As most couples approach marriage, each partner holds unrealistic expectations and unknown expectations. Our unrealistic expectations stem from a lack of true understanding of what marriage really is, but our unknown expectations can be even trickier, leaving us frustrated and confused but not entirely sure why.