The Meaning behind “It’s Because I Love You”

I believe that understanding is one of the most important foundations of a family. No matter how deeply people love one another, conflict is inevitable if they fail to understand and respect each other’s perspectives and values. Knowing that unresolved conflicts can eventually tear a family apart, I made a conscious effort from the very beginning of our marriage to see things from my husband’s point of view. So when he decided to start attending church, I did not object. I believed that faith is a deeply personal matter—one that no one else has the right to judge or interfere with.

I knew that my husband had attended church for a while in his younger days. Then, about three years ago, he started going back to church, which turned out to be the Church of God. The moment I heard the name, I was taken aback. Some of my Christian relatives had spoken negatively about the Church of God. Although I was not entirely at ease, I chose to respect my husband’s faith, as I had always done. As long as he did not try to persuade me to join him, I saw no reason to object.

As time went by, my husband’s faith seemed to deepen steadily. Yet the human heart can be a curious thing. Whenever I saw him leaving for church, I could not help feeling a twinge of disappointment. It was not because he had changed. If anything, despite being busy and exhausted from work, he made an even greater effort to spend time with our children, help around the house, and be thoughtful and considerate toward me. I was genuinely grateful for all of that. Even so, whenever I watched him head off to church, I could not shake that inexplicable feeling of disappointment.

From time to time, my husband would take our children to church with him. I assumed it was simply his way of expressing his love for them as a father, so I never objected. But after a while, I began to sense that he also hoped I would visit the church at least once. At the time, however, I did not understand how he truly felt. I had no idea that he sincerely longed for us to share the blessed future God had prepared for us. Nor did I realize how deeply it pained him to watch me focus only on the present and the realities of this life while remaining unaware of—and even turning away from—the eternal blessings of heaven. Back then, whenever he gently encouraged me to study the Bible, I only felt frustrated, thinking that he did not understand my point of view.

Then one day, a thought suddenly crossed my mind: Would my husband really feel respected if I kept turning him down like this? If I wanted him to respect me, shouldn’t I first try to understand and accept his sincere intentions? Gathering my courage, I accompanied him to the MEDIA’S VIEWS exhibition hosted by the Church of God. Having never been religious, I could not fully relate to everything presented there, but I came away with one clear impression: this was a church that was doing a great deal of good.

Last autumn, I made a proposal to my husband: I would go to church just ten times to study the Bible. For me, that was a huge decision. Before long, however, I was visiting church three times a week. At first, I approached the studies as though I were taking a general education course. But as I continued studying, I discovered that the Bible was filled with profound teachings about life and family. Because I had always believed only in what I could see, I found it difficult to believe in the existence of God and heaven. Even so, I could not find a single flaw in the logic of the Bible. Every question I asked was answered through the Scriptures, and with each answer, my trust grew. Before I knew it, more than a month had gone by.

More than anything else, studying the truth helped me understand my husband’s heart. I finally understood why he had wanted so earnestly to bring me to church. Because he was convinced of the truth, he sincerely longed for the woman he loved to receive God’s blessings as well. For him, saying, “Let’s go to church together,” or “Let’s study the Bible together,” was his way of expressing his love. When I realized that he had never given up on me but had continued praying and doing all he could because he truly loved me, my heart overflowed with gratitude.

I still remember something my husband said when he first invited me to church: “When you truly love someone, you can’t help but share the truth with them.” As time went on, those words sank deeper and deeper into my heart. Just as my husband had hoped, I began thinking not only about the present but also about the future of our family. Wanting to live without regrets, I became a member of the Church of God. After coming to Zion, I realized that we had given each other precious gifts. My husband led me to God’s blessings, and I gave him the joy of walking hand in hand toward salvation.

My faith is still far from mature, and I know I have a long way to go. Yet my husband waited patiently until I understood his love and came to know God. Even now, I know that he quietly prays that my faith will continue to grow. I know that such earnest love comes from God Elohim, my spiritual Parents. As I pray that my husband—who sincerely loves me and our children and whose love for God runs deep—will receive abundant blessings, I, too, will continue drawing closer to God, one step at a time.