Monday, July 9, 2012

Better Than a Bed of Roses


It’s been over 25 years since Michael and I said, “I do” before God and our loved ones.  We married on June 20, 1987 in Arvada, Colorado and, while sometimes it seems like only yesterday, it was over a quarter century ago! We’re planning a trip to the beach this fall to get away and celebrate.  We look forward to the quiet and rest of a sabbatical where we can slow down, reconnect, and just be.  There’s not much I love more than having Michael by my side (unless, of course, you count the time we spend with our kids), and I’m already getting butterflies thinking about having him all to myself.  No meetings, very few phone interruptions, great conversations, lots of time to pray and study God’s Word together, sleep late, catch up on our list of “must see” movies, walks along the water, and hours of comfortable silence with my very best friend.  I can’t wait!

It is easy to make our marriage sound as if it’s always been romantic and filled with bliss, but that is not the case.  Throughout our blessed years of raising beautiful children, living life, and enjoying many reasons to celebrate, we’ve seen our share of struggles.  We’ve buried loved ones, experienced job loss, watched our kids suffer, and battled spiritual attack.  We’ve each worked to the point of sheer exhaustion and family neglect, placed inappropriate priorities ahead of each other, and wondered if our marriage should continue.  There were times we handled the stress of heartache, disappointment, and near-collapse situations by attacking each other.  Yes, we’ve experienced separation and at various times turned our back on the Lord. 

In His great mercy and abundant loving-kindness, God has always drawn us back to Himself, both individually and together as a couple.  He alone has helped us refocus on the big picture and learn to let the small stuff go.  Christ has knit our hearts together in love and deep friendship and to Him alone we ascribe the glory - not only for the longevity of our marriage, but the joy and happiness that we experience. We realize that we walk in His strength, together as a team of three (God, Michael, and Cathy). 
 
Our marriage has not always been a bed of roses, but I’ll tell you in all honesty, I wouldn’t change a thing.  Each trial has made us rely more fully on the Lord and has drawn us… eventually… closer to one another and closer to Him.   It has not always been fun (but most of it sure has been), and not one single moment was wasted.  God has used every second for our good and for His glory.  Our marriage has been worth the effort, worthy of the fight, and it is, without question, a gift from the Lord.

In honor of 25 years together, Mike and I, for the next many weeks, will write these blog posts together and share our best advice as a list of “Top 10 Tips for a God-Honoring Marriage.” We pray you’ll be blessed and that you’ll find these posts worthy of sharing with those you love.  We hope to offer our stories honestly, vulnerably and selflessly with you, with the aim of glorifying the One who gave it all.   

Stay tuned.  Our Top 10 List is coming soon!

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