“Marriage:
Love is the reason.
Lifelong friendship is the gift.
Kindness is the cause.
Til’ death do us part is the length.”
-Fawn Weaver
Today I ask you, dear readers, to indulge me as I wish my husband a happy anniversary. We are not sappy romantics, but I thought I would go public with my sentiments.
I have no magic answer as to how one reaches longevity in a relationship, except to keep God central. I pray you are blessed here today.
My Bay,
Thirty-nine years ago I said, “I do.” You agreed and off we went to a life of adventure, children, moves and challenges for we had a dream that love would conquer all, and it has. Not our love alone, mind you, but two separate loves sewn together with the God threads of grace and forgiveness.
Without the Lord’s help, we undoubtedly would have ripped the seams of our marriage many times over until the garment of our unity fell away and we were left naked and alone in our singleness.
“Be completely humble and gentle;
be patient,
bearing with one another in love.”
Ephesians 4:2 (NIV)
Keeping God central truly binds two as one when sin and self threaten to tear apart something so precious as “us”.
Love, honor, and obey only begins to tell the story. Through the years we have had to…
be brave,
persist,
show kindness,
laugh,
cherish,
be grateful,
listen,
have hope,
lean into each other,
adapt,
create,
celebrate,
lead,
follow,
be humble,
follow our curiosity,
dream big,
and at times…rest.
“And over all these virtues put on love,
which binds them all together
in perfect unity.”
Colosians 3:14 (NIV)
What has come of our time together?
We grew in our understanding of ourselves and the people around us.
We saw firsthand the power of forgiveness.
“The first to apologize is the bravest.
The first to forgive is the strongest.
The first to forget is the happiest.”
(Unknown)
We learned to turn to God, praising him for his bountiful blessings and at times, for the stamina to keep the course. God has gifted us each time we moved closer to Him and to each other.
“…I am the Lord your God,
who teaches you what is best for you,
who directs you in the way you should go.”
Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)
We witnessed, almost daily, that strength builds strength…mine feeds yours, yours feeds mine. I am me, in large part, because of you. I thank you for that.
I praise our Heavenly Father for the many, many years of “we” and pray our marriage journey will continue for a very long time.
Happy 39th anniversary!
