Twenty Five Years!

 Twenty five years ago, we made a promise to each other, before God.

Twenty five years ago we were clueless.

We repeated the words and stood before an alter eclipsed; one that we knew little about, as we worshipped at the alter of our selves.

Expectations are clear. Happiness is expected. Goodness is misunderstood and our comfort is killing us.

Twenty five years ago there was love but we were preoccupied and unknowing and our alters almost consumed us but the Lord's pursuit of us was relentless.

We were hard fought and it wasn't because we were evil in the eyes of the world or had no concept of God or had never stepped foot in a church building...

No, we were hard fought because in the eyes of the world, we were "good" people but we had no true understanding of good. 

With the exchange of wedding bands, divinely engraved💗 our journey began. We assimilated into a life that was expected and familiar, post wedding vows and it was all "good"...

until it wasn't...

until He wrecked us...

until our hearts were broken, our eyes were opened and our pride defeated.

We thought we knew. We thought we had it all. We thought we were in control as we settled into our comfortable. But it was the wrecking that brought the seeking, the broken-ness that brought clarity and the release of control that brought peace.

In 25 years, so much has changed around us and within us. Our transformations were arduous and sometimes painful as we recognized our own broken-ness and sin and yet, it was in those moments that He met us and cared for us and revealed Himself to us. Prayers were answered and the Lord's goodness replaced our worldy comfort and settled into our hearts.  

Twenty five years we said, "I do", benevolently oblivious to what we were agreeing to😉 

Unconscious in our existence as we fell in step with a fallen world, the Lord's plan for our lives began to unfold and I am deeply grateful for His relentless pursuit of us. 

"My gift from God"

This is the inscription on the inside of both of our wedding bands as the Lord's "gentle whisper" began to reach our hearts and we realized that we had each been prompted to inscribe this without knowing the other was doing the same.

My gift from God...  

The extravagance of this gift has seen me through the broken as this man has carried my fears, cried my tears, affirmed my value and hugged away my disquiet. We have fought along side each other and for each other as we welcome the broken and recognize it within ourselves. Prayers were answered as I watched this strong, amazing husband and father submit himself, surrendering his control and the expectations of the fallen, saturating me with awe and the immenseness of God's faithfulness and power.

"Being in love first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep the promise.” Mere Christianity

As that gentle whisper began to change our hearts, the "quieter love" consumed us and is walking us through what the Lord has called us to.

Twenty five years later... 

and we are still clueless but we know we are clueless and that knowing allows the Lord to lead us and as our idols continue to fall away, we rejoice in the good, give thanks for the blessings, let go of the worries, trust Him through the hard and just love love love.

Thank you Lord for 25 years of amazing!!!