by AC Carter
I wasn't there when Psalms 46 was written, but I can agree completely with the writer's assessment when it was recorded that "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalms 46:1 KJV) There's an old familiar Gospel song that says "time is filled with swift transitions", but no matter what, one can be encouraged to "hold to God's unchanging hand." Life has a way of happening whether a couple is prepared or not. It doesn't always come with warning signs. It doesn't always have a map to navigate through the difficulties. Yet one thing is for certain, God never changes as He is always here. My wife and I got married very young. As a matter of fact, we will be married for 18 years this October (2019). Being a young married couple gave us not only the challenges that life has to offer, but also the lessons that came along with them. We were able to learn many things that weren't particularly told to us as we journeyed through each day. There were times when we didn't have much, but even through those difficult moments, God showed us how we had each other and that He was always there.
You see, when we faced ups and downs, we had no choice but to face them together. When we were in the valley of our lives, we remained together, and when we were victorious, we celebrated together. We never allowed whatever life brought before us to shatter what we were trying to build. We soon discovered that as we were building, the only way our marriage was going to stand was to have a good foundation. This drew us back to our roots of depending on God no matter what. There's a promise that Jesus gave to us; He said "I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee." (Hebrews 13:5b KJV). Have we ever had issues while growing in our marriage? Of course. Yet, God's presence was always greater than our problem! No matter whether it was communication, finances, date nights, children's homework, our careers, or anything that could cast a shadow over our relationship, we were still able to see through those moments and gain strength through the struggles.
You too may have dealt with or are dealing with issues within your marriage. Anyone that has been married over a period of time will truthfully admit that it takes much prayer and much work; yet looking back over the years, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. I think about how Christ went through so much as He endured the cross for us. It wasn't easy, but because of His love, He stayed there. Our commitment to our marriages should be an example of Christ's commitment to us. With this in our hearts, we can all gain strength through the struggles of marriage.
"What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." (Mark 10:9 KJV) Be blessed and be a blessing to someone else!
Meet the Author
Alvin ”AC” Carter is a native of Madison, Mississippi, and currently resides in Gluckstadt, MS with his wife, KaLandra M. Carter. They are the parents of three daughters, Aerial, Alondriya, & Khloe. Alvin is a member of Pilgrim Rest M. B. Church (Madison, MS) under the leadership of Pastor Matthew L. Canada where he currently serves as the Minister of Christian Education. He and KaLandra are also Christian Couples' Ministry Leaders. They both attended the Marriage Bootcamp conducted by Jim and Teresa Adams in 2014 in Jackson, MS. Soon after, with the collaborative effort of other couples from the church that also attended the event, the Christian Couples Ministry was established.
Alvin is a graduate of Tougaloo College (Tougaloo, MS) where he serves as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Champions of Character Coordinator for the Department of Athletics. He is also a graduate of Liberty University where he received his Master of Arts in Theological Studies.
He is a licensed and ordained minister and receives annual training through the National Baptist Congress of Christian Education. He annually serves as Youth Instructor for the Madison County Baptist Association of Churches Congress of Christian Education.
He enjoys spending time with his family, writing (which is one of his greatest passions), and most importantly, preaching and teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
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