Growing Together With God
Finding “the one” is an intimidating prospect, especially when the decision of who to spend the rest of your life with is such a big one. But Tim and Bliss Kuntz have done just that. They have been married for sixteen years after meeting at Union College in 2000, Bliss as a freshman and Tim a sophomore. Now Bliss works as a research and instruction librarian and Tim as a PA faculty here at Union.
The couple says they didn’t really hang out before they went on a few dates, of which their first was the typical vespers date. Those initial dates evolved into something intimate and genuine.
“I knew right away, as cheesy as that sounds,” said Tim. “[Bliss] was smart, attractive and I also really appreciated her relationship with God. I remember we had a phone call over Christmas break and I just remember thinking, ‘If I don’t screw this up I’m going to marry this girl.’ ”
Marriage is a wonderful expression of two people’s love, but that’s not all it is. When asked what role God plays in their relationship, they both agreed that His involvement is critical.
“I think praying together is big,” said Bliss. “Habits can be hard to form. Sometimes they’re easy to lose. So I know we’ve come to times over and over again where we’re like ‘you know what we haven’t been praying together like we should,’ and we get back to that.”
Tim added, “Sometimes we’re a little more persnickety with each other. For me, either I haven’t had my own personal worship or we haven’t been praying together.”
This aspect of prayer trickles into seeking serious relationships as well. The Kuntzes advise this for other couples as well.
Tim went on to say, “It sounds cliche, but pray about it. And never sell yourself short. You’re worth a lot and so if somebody doesn’t value you for what you’re worth . . . don’t settle.”
Bliss emotionally continued. “We think God’s gonna send this perfect person and we’re not gonna have any problems. That’s not true. So I think God will pick someone for you and it won’t be easy. It will be hard but that’s okay. If you see that person as God’s gift to you . . . then it’s worth working for.”
Their honesty was touching and their experience compelling. It is valuable to remember, especially approaching this Valentine’s Day, that with God as the base, a relationship can grow and blossom into something more than we could ever hope for.
Abigail Logan is a freshman studying occupational therapy.