Am I better off married?

The cry of every presidential campaign always comes back to: “Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”
Today is the tenth anniversary of the day my life forever changed. Ten years ago, I married my best friend, and the love of my life.

So, am I better off than I was ten years ago? The answer is YES!.
I could say that it’s because we have had ten years of wedded bliss, with no problems. I could say that everything in our lives has been perfect. I could say that we have been in perfect agreement on every challenge we have faced.
I could say all that, but it would not be true. Compared to the challenges some have faced, we have been blessed. Our life has not been free of difficulty, but through it all, we have met these trials and grown through them.
The odds were against us from the start. The failure rate for second marriages is astronomical. So, why have we made it this far?
As we tell the people who go through our divorce recovery classes, we married because we wanted to, not because we had to. We were both completely contented single adults. Our lives were stable, socially, financially and individually. We were best friends. We met each other’s need for companionship. So, why get married? My teenage children asked the same question, and I took advantage of a great teenage teachable moment; “We want to do something that God says we shouldn’t do unless we are married”. Needless to say, that ended that particular conversation!

God made us for relationship. He created man in order to have a daily close relationship with a human being. He created woman because He saw that man needed another human specially gifted to help him realize the entire beauty of God’s creation.
We are all a part of God’s perfect plan. His plan is for us to be reconciled to Him through our acceptance of Jesus Christ as our only salvation from our sins. His plan also includes a joyful and abundant life here on earth. He is all about relationships, between Him and us, and with each other. His best picture of a proper relationship is a happy marriage.
So, am I better off now than ten years ago?
Yes, but not because of anything I have done. I am better off because I trusted God to lead my wife and me to each other. I am still truly amazed that He loved me this much.