Stewardship in Practice: Year Two - How I’m Learning to Steward My Marriage
Lessons on grace, growth, and choosing each other daily
Twenty-four months of marriage.
If I’m honest, it doesn’t seem like much time but it stretched me more than I ever expected. Not in some dramatic, movie-scene kind of way, but in the quiet, ordinary, sacred ways that only marriage can.
As my husband and I celebrate our anniversary today, I’ve been thinking about what it’s looked like to steward this relationship. Because if marriage is a gift (and I truly believe it is), then it’s also something God has called me to tend to, protect, nurture, and grow.
Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
Stewarding Communication: Slowing Down to Really Hear Each Other
Early in our marriage, I thought good communication meant getting my point across and sometimes—if I’m being honest—it meant “winning” the conversation.
But over time, I’ve realized that real communication in marriage is less about who’s right and more about how we love each other through our words. It’s about slowing down long enough to hear what’s not being said. It’s being willing to revisit hard conversations and learning to apologize when I get it wrong (which still happens often).
We’re learning how to make space for both honesty and gentleness. And when we miss the mark, we’re learning to circle back in love.
Stewarding Grace: Forgiving and Being Forgiven
Marriage is humbling. There are days when I feel stretched thin, when I’m not as patient or present as I want to be. There are moments when we misunderstand each other or fall into old patterns.
And yet—grace.
I’m learning to extend the same grace I so desperately need. I’m learning that forgiveness isn’t just for the “big things,” but for the little moments that build up if we’re not careful. Like missing trash day when the bin is full and now we have to go an entire week fighting flies to get to our cars in the driveway. *Long sigh* Forgiven.
And I’m learning that grace doesn’t make us weaker—it makes us softer, safer, and stronger.
Stewarding Time and Togetherness: Choosing Each Other in the Everyday
Between work, parenting, and life’s daily rhythms, it’s easy to let connection slip into the background. But one of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that love needs tending. Marriage needs intentionality.
Sometimes that looks like small things—a shared meal, a quick check-in, or watching our favorite show together (right now it’s Godfather of Harlem!). Sometimes it means planning a date night even when it feels inconvenient. We’re still figuring it out. But I’ve learned that togetherness doesn’t just happen—it’s something we choose and prioritize.
What I’m Still Learning
I’m still learning how to lead with love and not my emotions.
I’m learning how to make space for my husband’s growth and mine.
I’m learning how to steward not just our marriage, but who I’m becoming within it.
There’s still so much ahead of us. But one thing I know for sure: marriage isn’t something I own—it’s something I steward. It’s a reflection of God’s love and a call to show up daily, even when it’s hard, even when I don’t feel like I’m getting it “right.”
A Word to My Fellow Stewards
If you’re in the thick of it—figuring out how to be a partner, a parent, a person of faith—I see you. Stewardship doesn’t mean perfection. It means presence. It means staying when it’s uncomfortable, softening when it would be easier to harden, and believing that love—real, rooted, faithful love—is worth nurturing.
Two years in, and I’m still learning. But I’m grateful for the journey. And I’m committed to stewarding this marriage, this love, this life we’re building—one choice at a time.
This is beautiful! Happy Anniversary!!!