Your Beginnings As A Couple

Your Beginnings as a Couple

God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

Chaim Potok, born in the Bronx on February 17, 1929 to Jewish immigrants from Poland, started writing at the age of 16. He submitted his first article to the Atlantic Monthly but was rejected. The editor complimented his work, though, and that was enough to keep him going. Potok eventually became a rabbi and later a bestselling author with his 1967 novel, The Chosen. It stayed on the New York Times bestseller list for thirty-nine weeks and sold more than three million copies.

Potok went on to write other award-winning stories, mostly about aspects of Jewish life. The first sentence of Potok’s novel In the Beginning reads, “All beginnings are hard.” In the book, the main character, David, describes how one evening when he was nine years old, he burst into tears because a passage of a Bible commentary had proved too difficult for him to understand. David’s mentor welcomed him warmly to his apartment and spoke in a gentle voice: “Be patient, David, beginnings are hard; you cannot swallow all the world at one time.”

Have you ever felt like David? It’s only natural when beginning something new—marriage included—to want instant maturity. But seasoned maturity takes time, and growing pains are inevitable. Look back on your own beginnings as a couple today. Maybe those years weren’t so long ago; maybe they’re hard to remember! Think about what you have gone through together as a couple since your wedding day. Do you see ways God has helped you grow, not only in spite of, but as a result of difficult times? If you’re in those difficult times now, take courage—God can use this to grow you as a result.

As you reflect on the beginning of your own marriage, consider another beginning—your own birth. Remember that God made you in his image. This great gift should be affirmed and celebrated. The same God who created you in the image of himself at the beginning of your life is with you as you live out the vows you made at the beginning of your marriage. Thank God for bringing you through the difficult times behind you—and commit to turning to him in any difficult times that may be ahead.

From small beginnings come great things.

—Folk proverb