The Fierce Marriage Challenge was, well… a challenge.

Relationships are hard work, eh? We firmly believe in continued work and growth in any relationship. You can’t just give up and quit trying once you seal the deal. Even the easiest relationships still take work.

Our journey has not been an easy one. There were many times I looked at our relationship and wondered if it would work. I’m so grateful to have a partner who can recognize his shortcomings and is constantly looking for ways to improve not only himself, but our relationship as well.

Nicholas and I have been following the Fierce Marriage account on instagram for quite some time and admiring from afar. We have discussed ordering some of their books to explore together and this summer, for my birthday, Nick ordered us the 31 Day Pursuit Challenge set.

We were so excited to dive into this challenge. Since we were in the middle of a pandemic, stuck at home for the most part, we figured this would be the perfect time to give it a go.

Truth bomb… we failed. Well, I did. Nick stuck with it pretty well, but I found myself getting discouraged and not following through. Here’s why…

Each day has a portion of reading/perspective and ends with a challenge and prayer. The challenges range from cooking dinner, playing a game, a simple letter to extravagant gestures. Many of the physical challenges became extra challenging due to our COVID-19 circumstances. It wasn’t easy to just run to the store or go shopping. Online ordering was delayed. Travel came to a screeching halt. We have been living with one income due to me being furloughed. All that being said, the actual “challenges” became daunting for me.

More about the challenge…

This is a husband wife duo, Ryan + Selena Frederick. For this series, the Wife in Pursuit book is written by Selena, and Ryan wrote the book for men, Husband in Pursuit.

Nick and I were able to travel through the lessons at our own pace. With his schedule, it can be tough to find time to sit down together and work on something, so this format was a major plus for us.

I must say, the reading portion was incredibly insightful for me. It caused me to see our relationship through a different lens. There were several lessons that opened my eyes to who Nicholas is and how I can love him the way he needs to be loved.

I can’t lie, there were times I was reading and felt called out! Like, shots fired. Rude. But also, I probably needed to hear that. In the end, I loved that part.

We sat down at the conclusion of the 31 days and decided that we wanted a do-over. We definitely we not able to utilize this learning tool to the best of its ability during the pandemic, so we can’t wait to revisit this and learn more the second time around.

5 stars. 10/10 would recommend.

~ Denise