Guanghui has been married to Binghong for over 20 years. What follows is their heartfelt testimony about the joys and challenges of married life, a story they first shared during the “Deeper Weekend” Marriage Encounter organized by the Fengxiang Diocese.
When I first stepped onto the stage to share, my palms were drenched with sweat. It was my first time speaking in such a formal setting, and I was so nervous that I barely slept for several nights. I kept wondering, Do I really have to talk publicly about all the chaos, ups and downs, and bittersweet moments of our family life? I worried it might be embarrassing.
But as I began to speak, my heart was overwhelmed with emotion, because it wasn’t just a story I was telling; it felt like reliving our entire journey together.
I remember how, not long after the excitement of our wedding faded, our daily communication became like “a needle meeting a sharp edge.” My wife complained that my words were too harsh, while I grumbled that she ordered too many things online. We sulked over housework, argued about work stress, and often disagreed on how to raise our child. During that time, I often asked myself: What happened to the vows we made before the altar? How could they be defeated by the trivialities of daily life?
Yet, when we started writing our testimony, reflecting on more than twenty years of marriage, I suddenly realized something important. After every quarrel, my wife would still quietly wash my clothes. Whenever I worked late into the night, she always made sure I had something to eat. Those little gestures, the ones I once overlooked, were the true essence of our love.
Sitting on that stage, looking out at so many familiar faces, sometimes seeing tears, sometimes laughter, was a wonderful experience. I realized that every married couple lives through similar struggles. One brother later told me during a meal, “When you shared your most embarrassing experience, I really felt it. It made me realize that my own problems weren’t that bad after all.”
That first sharing experience taught me a great deal. I used to think marriage was simply two people living together. Now I understand it is a vocation, a sacred calling arranged by God. My wife has learned to understand the challenges of my work, and I have slowly learned to let go of my stubbornness.
During the Marriage Encounter, we opened our hearts completely. Through the stories of other couples and their feedback, we gained many valuable insights on how to nurture a marriage. These lessons are like lamps, lighting our way forward.
Thanks be to God, who brought two very different people together in marriage and led us to this warm and loving Marriage Encounter. Seeing the transformation in others through our sharing makes me believe that what we did was truly meaningful.
I sincerely hope that every couple, with God’s grace, may live out a sacramental marriage, no matter what challenges arise, may they always hold tightly to the hand that God Himself has joined. May all married couples stay true to their first love, support each other through life’s journey, and walk together in love toward eternity.
(Originally published in Faith Press.)
