Love stories come in all shapes, but ours was built through shared purpose, blended family dynamics, and unwavering faith. It wasn’t always easy, but every step has been worth it. Through military deployments, autism parenting challenges, and spiritual growth in marriage, we’ve learned how to lean on each other, and most importantly, lean on God.

I hope our story reminds someone out there that love doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful, and that with God at the center, even the hardest seasons can lead to something incredible.

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I met my husband while stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia (now called Fort Eisenhower). It was my second duty station, and I had already been through a lot on my own. One day, a mutual friend invited me to a BBQ, and that’s where we met. We talked, laughed, and from the moment we connected, I could tell he was different.

What attracted me most to him was his confidence, he knew exactly what he wanted, and he made it clear that he saw something special in me. He constantly told me how beautiful I was, and for the first time in a long time, I felt truly seen. We went on a few dates, and it didn’t take long for things to get serious. His steady presence brought peace into my life during a season of uncertainty.

Not long after we became serious, he asked me to marry him, and in 2013, we tied the knot. With that, we officially became a faith-based blended family.

He stepped into a fatherly role with so much love and grace. My kids weren’t just “mine” anymore, he treated them as his own from day one. What meant the most was how he showed up for my oldest son, who has autism. That journey hasn’t been easy, but my husband supported us through every milestone and setback. I still remember the joy we both felt when my son started speaking more, it was emotional, and we praised God together in that moment.

Parenting children with autism comes with unique challenges, but having a partner who is patient, present, and prayerful made all the difference. Our Christian parenting approach focused on seeing God’s purpose in every challenge and celebrating His faithfulness through each breakthrough.

Marriage isn’t perfect, especially military marriage with its unique stressors. We’ve had our share of hard days, especially trying to balance military life, parenting special needs children, and everything in between. But one thing we’ve always leaned on is prayer.

There were times when things felt overwhelming, and the only thing we could do was pray through it. I’d cry out to God for strength, understanding, and peace. Through those prayers, I learned patience, both with myself and with my husband. We’ve been through a lot in our marriage, but each time, we came out stronger, more grounded, and more in love than before.

Here are three prayers that became lifelines during our most challenging seasons:

1. Prayer for Patience During Autism Meltdowns: “Lord, give us wisdom to understand our son’s needs and patience to respond with love. Help us see him through your eyes and parent with your heart. Amen.”

2. Prayer for Military Deployment Separation: “Father, protect our family during this deployment. Keep our hearts connected across the miles and help us trust in Your perfect timing for reunion. Strengthen our marriage bonds even when we’re apart. Amen.”

3. Prayer for Family Unity: “God, help us love these children as You love us—unconditionally and completely. Show us how to build a family that honors You and creates a safe, loving home for everyone. Amen.”

From the beginning, we knew we wanted a faith-filled relationship. God wasn’t an afterthought; He was the foundation of our Christian marriage.

We prayed before making big decisions, thanked Him during the good times, and leaned into Him when life got hard. Over time, our spiritual walk grew deeper. One of the most powerful moments in our journey was when my husband got baptized. Watching him publicly give his life to Christ was emotional for our whole family, and shortly after, he became a youth pastor. I couldn’t be more proud of him.

As for me, I now teach Sunday school at our church. Being involved in ministry has strengthened not just our faith but our relationship, our parenting, and our family unity. I genuinely believe that everything else starts to align when you find your place in the church. Serving together has brought our family closer in a way I can’t imagine.

“Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” — Ecclesiastes 4:12

One of the things I cherish most about our family life is our faith-based routines. Every morning, I start my day with the Bible App; reading the Daily Refresh, reflecting on the devotional, and listening to the guided prayer. It helps me stay focused on what really matters.

As a family, we go to church regularly and do Bible studies with the kids. We keep it simple; sometimes, we just read a Bible story and talk about what we learned. Other times, we dive into topics that we’re navigating together. These moments are so important, especially when raising kids in today’s world and building strong blended family devotions.

Free Resource: Strengthen Your Marriage Through Scripture Speaking of prayer, I’ve created a free guide with 5 powerful Bible verses to pray over your marriage. These verses have strengthened our relationship during tough seasons and helped us build spiritual intimacy. Download your free printable guide here and start transforming your marriage through God’s Word today.

Over the years, we’ve discovered some incredible resources that have deepened our faith and strengthened our marriage:

The Jeremiah Study Bible – This has been our go-to resource for family Bible study and personal devotion time. Dr. Jeremiah’s insights have helped us understand Scripture in practical ways that apply to our daily marriage and parenting challenges.

Bible App Marriage Devotionals – We regularly use the marriage devotionals on the Bible App to spark meaningful discussions about God’s design for marriage. These have been game-changers for building spiritual intimacy and ensuring we’re growing our marriage according to His way, not the world’s standards.

These resources have given us tools to navigate everything from communication issues to parenting decisions with biblical wisdom.

After over a decade of marriage, military life, and faith-based parenting, here are the most important lessons we’ve learned:

1. Start Where You Are, Not Where You Think You Should Be: We didn’t wait until we had perfect faith or perfect circumstances to build a Christian home. We started with simple prayers and grew from there.

2. Special Needs Parenting is a Ministry: Parenting our son with autism taught us that every child is fearfully and wonderfully made. God uses our children’s unique needs to grow our faith and compassion.

3. Military Marriage Requires Extra Intentionality: Distance, deployments, and stress can challenge any marriage, but with God at the center and consistent communication, military marriages can thrive.

4. Service Strengthens Everything: When we started serving together in ministry, it transformed not just our marriage but our entire family dynamic. Finding your place in God’s kingdom brings purpose and unity.

5. Prayer Changes Everything—Including Us: The goal of prayer isn’t just to change our circumstances, but to align our hearts with God’s will and grow in patience, love, and understanding.

Q: How do you start family devotions with young children and special needs kids? A: Start simple! We began with just reading one Bible story and asking “What did we learn about God today?” For our son with autism, we use visual Bible story books and keep discussions short but consistent. The key is consistency over perfection.

Q: What Bible verses help with parenting challenges? A: Proverbs 22:6, Ephesians 6:4, and Psalm 127:3 have been our anchors. We also love Philippians 4:13 for those overwhelming moments when we need God’s strength for patient parenting.

Q: How do you blend families successfully with faith as the foundation? A: Prayer, patience, and putting God’s love first. We made sure every child felt equally loved and valued. We also established family traditions that included everyone and made church attendance a non-negotiable family value.

Q: How can military families maintain strong faith during deployments? A: Stay connected through family devotions over video calls, pray together even when apart, and lean on your church family for support. We also sent Bible verses and prayers in care packages to keep our hearts connected.

Q: What’s the best way to grow spiritual intimacy in marriage? A: Pray together daily, study God’s Word together, and serve in ministry together. We found that when we focused on growing closer to God individually, we naturally grew closer as a couple.

If I could encourage any couple or family reading this, it would be this: Start small and stay consistent. You don’t need a perfect setup to grow spiritually together. Whether it’s praying over dinner, doing a 5-minute devotional, or simply attending church together—those little moments matter more than you know.

And don’t be afraid to get involved in Christian marriage ministry or children’s programs. Whether it’s joining a small group, helping out in the children’s ministry, or even greeting people at the door—there is a place for everyone in God’s house. Serving together has changed everything for our family and can transform yours too.

If you’re in a season of waiting, parenting, or rebuilding, I hope our story gives you hope. Military spouse faith can be challenging to maintain, but God is faithful through every season.

Have you experienced God moving in your blended family or military marriage? What prayers have sustained you through parenting challenges? I’d love to hear your story and celebrate how God is working in your life!

Please drop a comment below sharing your own faith journey or a prayer request where our community can lift you up. Your story might be exactly what another reader needs to hear today!