my wife and i had the opportunity to reflect back on our 4+ years together yesterday. it's amazing how many good times we've had and how many struggles we've had as well. we know that we take advantage of each other, but at the same time, we know we build each other up. we understand each other. when you find somebody like this, the joy and love you experience is amazing. i can honestly say that i wouldn't feel this way if i was with anybody else. God put us together for a reason.
in the midst of our series at church dealing with sex, i can't help but reflect on how much stronger my relationship with my wife would be if i hadn't had sex before marriage. i mean, sure it's socially acceptable, but if people only knew how this dramatically affects them when they find "the one", i believe we wouldn't engage in this behavior. i've come to understand over the past 3 weeks of this series, that God encourages us to wait for a reason. the heartaches, the headaches and the challenges that have to be overcome are difficult ones and without God in my life, i would honestly say that i probably wouldn't be married now.
but i am so thankful that my wife and i have God in our lives. though we're not perfect in our faith, He is definitely the glue that holds us together. i'm not saying that God is the only reason i'm staying married. that's not it at all. but He sure makes dealing with some of the struggles bearable. and He also helps us enjoy the good times and remember that this is what marriage is all about. two people who genuinely love each other. who take the time to communicate. who take the time to care.
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OK, just have to make a comment! Today is Jeramy and My 9th anniversary. It is a good day. When we look back at all that we have experienced over the past 9 (10+ if you count dating)years, there were many times that outsiders would have said it's OK to call it quits. However, Jeramy and I both knew that when we married, our commitment was not only with each other, but a covenant with our Heavenly Father that we would do all in our power to work through whatever came our way.
ReplyDeleteA leader of ours once explained it to us that our relationship is a triangle with Jeramy and me on the base corners and Christ at the top center one. He said that as we work on our selves and turning our lives to Christ, the closer we move individually to Christ the other partner moves in the same direction. Sometimes we are (and have been) at different paces, but we both keep moving up and trying to be more like Christ. That analogy really helped me out.
One more comment about the sex before marriage. We were both raised with the strict admonition that there should be NO sex before marriage. It was hard to follow that counsel when I was a teen. But, I have NO regrets now. I am happy to hear that others recognize the value in waiting. The "world" seems to scorn and belittle those who make that choice, but I agree that the pain and regret that comes with those discressions is not worth anything. (I am not judging those who do make a different choice. I know we are all just doing the best we can!) But thanks for the thoughts anyway!
first, congrats bk! you two are an amazing pair of role models, both in marriage, family and Christ.
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