Our Heartland trip leader, Dr. Mark Ziese, is an archaeologist who has taught at Cincinnati Bible Seminary and Johnson University. Early in his marriage, he and his wife spent a year in the Heartland (Palestinian/Israeli area) on an archaeological dig. During this time, they had two young children; a son six years old and a daughter four years old.

His wife was very hesitant, to say the least, to taking their kids into “the unknown” for a year. Dr. Ziese was away digging in the dirt much of the day, while she was home cooking, cleaning, and taking care of their little one. There was no washing machines, water had to be boiled to get it hot, and even though it was not that long ago, it is not a first world country and did not have the greatest luxuries available. It was certainly a trying year for their family.

Today, she describes it as one of the best years of their lives. Looking back, in spite of all its difficulties, it was one of their best years! He didn’t go into details about what made it so great, but he made the comment about how funny it is how time changes our perspective.

As he recalled this experience, I couldn’t help but wonder how common this is. I am not yet married, but marriage is good and meant to be enjoyed. There will always be tough seasons of marriage and life. It won’t be all roses or all dandelions, they are only for a season. You may not have a year in the Heartland, but I’m guessing if you’ve been married five years or more, you’ve had a trying year somewhere along the way.

The best years of marriage come after enduring the tough seasons together. Sadly, many couples give up and quit too early. Life gets tough and instead of hanging in there, working it, out and enduring together, they give up. It either results in divorce or living together as married, but not having a God honoring marriage. Neither is acceptable.

What breaks my heart, is seeing so many couples not persevering through the tough times to enjoy the seasons of indescribable joy and beauty! If they could hang in there just a bit longer, the rough seasons of life never last. There is always an end. Sometimes it’s longer than others, but there is always an end. Fight for each other, not against each other.

Don’t get discouraged. Don’t give up! Go see a counselor if you need to, but don’t give up! There is so much good and growth that can come from enduring and fighting together.

James 1 tells us to count it all joy when we face trials of various kinds. It can be a joyful experience when we endure together. He continues to talk about persistence in hard times producing a variety of good things in us. When we endure together, there are all kinds of good things that happen between us. Intimacy grows and flourishes as we endure together.