My sweetheart and I just marked another in a long string of wedding anniversaries.
Is he really perfect? Well, probably not. Am I? Certainly not. Have we grown and
changed? Absolutely.
I fell hard for this handsome young fella the first time he aimed a smile my way.
We married young and experts would have pronounced us doomed for divorce. They didn't know we meant it when we promised to be faithful and to stay married for life. Most of all, we knew God was on our side. As that favorite wedding text, Ecclesiastes 4:12 puts it:
Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
So when we hit those inevitable rough spots, we prayed and clung to each other and worked it through.
"Until death do us part" ensures time to grow--and see more clearly
- The darling I dreamed of would wow me with extravagant gestures of love. The darling I live with wows me with endless quiet deeds of love.
- I knew life with the boy I loved would be easy, just because we would be together. Life with the man I love at times grew tense and chill descended, but we kept talking and worked it through.
- The mate of my imagination would never be too busy to listen to my ramblings. The mate I live with always hears what's on my heart.
- The lover of my romantic dreams would say memorable things like the movie hero who makes his lady swoon. The lover in my life has seen me at my worst--and still thinks I'm memorable, which makes me swoon.
- The man I pictured making a life with would stand for truth and beauty and community-mindedness and of course, everyone would look up to him. The man I make a real life with quietly lives with faith in Jesus--and all the rest follows.
- The one I dreamed of making a life with would come home with a happy heart and swing me off my feet. The one I make a life with comes home and stays home with a heart that's happy if I'm happy. He "swings me off my feet" with a smile.
- The guy I married never cooked and considered housekeeping my domain. The sweetheart I live with now taught himself to cook and does housework because, he says, after so many years it's turnabout fair play.
- The young man I fell for gave me butterflies with a smile or an arm around my waist. The always-young man I'm married to still gives me flutters with that certain smile or that certain hug.
Does all this sound impossible?
I promise you, it's not.
Trust me, we're very human and we made mistakes. We absolutely know God watched over us and blessed us every step of the way.
The point is, He will do the same for you. Just ask Him.
Then walk in faith. Pray. Love as wholeheartedly as you can. Watch your thoughts, because whatever you think about all the time can crowd out what's real.
In marriage as in life, keep your attention on what is, not on what's missing.
Will it be worth all the prayers and tears and struggles? Yes!
Wishing you joy,
Lenore
