My wife and I recently celebrated our anniversary, which is as good a time as any to reflect on the blessing of our union. I’m very grateful to God for my wife and our marriage.
I know that there are a plethora of opinions out there, but getting married young was extremely helpful for us. We would have been an unlikely pairing as older adults. We are both prone to obsess over our interests, which would have pulled us to opposite poles. Our encounter at the freshman boat dance was timed perfectly. As undergraduates, we could pursue different interests, while participating in the same tightly knit community.
Consequently, we graduated from college as a married couple and began to grow old together. For us, growing old together meant studying Contracts I and Medical Physiology on Sunday nights; taking turns making the macaroni and cheese; buying and selling our first house; participating in the life of our church as a couple; and gang tackling the existential questions that accompany a life well lived.
We have shared a heavy yoke at times. Lest we become too fond of this life, growing old together also means that we have experienced life’s disappointments together.
For our marriage to be healthy, my wife must be more than a good travel companion. I must help her live out her ultimate purpose, and she must help me live out mine. We are co-laborers in a much bigger struggle, not jealous competitors. I’m firmly with Francis Chan on these points.
Keeping a proper perspective, I can count my blessings and thank God for a good match.
Tyler Dale Gaastra 