Welcome to our happily ever-after…

August 30, 2011

Today is our 25th wedding anniversary!

It’s really a humbling yet exciting feeling. I’ve been thinking how God brought us together and how He has been slowly reforming us to know truth, to His image. It makes so much sense that an earthly marriage is a symbol of our relationship with Christ.

When we were joined together I had no clue what our wedding vows meant. I was completely selfish and thought being married would make me happy… you know, live happily ever-after. Although I did not know what I was doing, God knew what He was doing.

God has been reforming us through better and worse:

Our first child died when she was 2 days old. Her birth and death cemented us together.  Who knew that “for better or for worse” would be so soon after our wedding vows? God did.

Providence moved us from upstate New York to Alabama.  We have lived in the same house I lived in with my parents when I was in high school (the very house I hated and couldn’t wait to get out of), for 22 of our 25 years! God has such a crazy sense of humor.

We’ve been through the loss of a great job, divorce of parents, siblings and friends, rebellious children, etc… the same stuff most everyone else in our culture faces.

As a teen I hated school…seriously hated school, and our all knowing God saw fit to keep me ‘schooling’ for 20 of our 25 years. Yep, a great sense of humor He has!

But I must say that it is His choice of husband for me that has been the best part!  There is no doubt that He fashioned me for Jeff. Our personalities and our strengths and weaknesses fit perfectly together.  That does not mean we agree on everything…far from it, but we balance each other out.

I always credit Jeff for us being happily married. He is so slow to anger, he believes the best in people, he is as steady as a rock, he works from sun up to sun down to take care of us, and he is as faithful as any man could be. I have never had to worry about a wandering eye or a discontent heart.  There are no words to express my gratitude, only actions, actions of respect, honor and devotion until death parts us. Sadly, I fail at he respect and honor part a LOT, but I’m getting better at it.

To live happily ever-after does not mean there are no struggles. It does mean that when you choose to die to yourself, to your SELFishness, your demands, your rights, and seek to really love, to be joined together as one, then you can start to live happily ever-after.

The key to 25, or 35, or 50 years is to know that it is NOT ABOUT YOU! It is about two people joined together by God, to become one, to work together to advance the Kingdom; not perfectly, not always happily, but in a spirit of love, forgiveness and perseverance.

May God grant us another 25 years together as we live out our happily ever-after.

Topics: Family Tidbits | 6 Comments »