11 Years.
Celebrated tonight by the sight of my husband standing on stage singing in a bathrobe to a church full of women. Hmmmm. A mental image many want to be rid of. Not what I envisioned for an anniversary dinner. :-)
I laugh, and yet, this is part of why I love him.
His confidence, his laughter, his sensitivity, his honesty... and his love for people and for God.... all intrigued me when we met. However, I wasn't always trusting of him.... and despite his sensitivity he wasn't thrown off by me. I am thankful, now.
God has used him to grow me up so much.
We are both pretty headstrong people. It is amazing we survived our first year of marriage. Many nights were marked by the immature race to slam the door & see who could peel out of the parking lot fastest & loudest, leaving the other one to 'sit at home' and think about what they'd done or said wrong...
Thankfully, God's spirit has had much more reign over the last years than the first.
My biggest desire, in all my hopes and fears of marriage, was that I would find someone who would love God more than he loved me. I knew that if I did, our marriage would have a chance of lasting.
I remember praying to God about that in my heart, and later, having a conversation with Jason ( before we were really dating) when he replied to a 'hypothetical' question with that very response...
And I thought to myself "Him, Lord?!?"
What a sweet yes God gave me just a few years later.
Through Jason, He has humbled me, and showed me how to forgive and ask forgiveness. He has loved the most unloveable parts of me. He has confronted me, challenged me, ignored me, prayed with me and for me. He has lifted me up, served me, protected me and put up with me. How rare it is to find a person who will not only tolerate, but embrace knowing another human so intimately, despite the mess they encounter.
I understand why marriage is such a window into the divine relationship we have with God.
Any imperfections, and even the sum of all of them, don't compare to the joy of pursuing God in the comfort of a relationship with someone who is doing the same. And in fact, that comfort redefines all the imperfections in the first place.
So bathrobe and all...
I'll be beyond blessed to take as many more years as the Lord will give us! :-)
6 comments:
Congratulations! What a wonderful tribute to Jason and to you. It takes a Godly woman to allow herself to be molded into what God longs for her to become. When Van and I got married, I was the screamer and thrower (Yes, I actually threw something one time! It broke, didn't have near the affect on him I was hoping for and seemed just really stupid later when I didn't have something I had really liked and he didn't feel sorry for me about it either!)I was twenty before I learned temper-tantrums don't work. But, my Godly husband loved me anyway, ignored my childishness and just loved me. The first time I ever remember really getting into scripture and digging for something I desperately needed to learn was as a new bride studying submission. It is now one of the most beautiful words in my vocabulary. I finally learned that by submitting my will I am able to love unconditionally. I love all our personality and gifts study at church because it has reminded me how complete opposites Van and I are. We rarely overlap in any categories, but by submitting ourselves to the Lord and allowing Him to refine us, all those differences have actually made us stronger together. We strengthen each other's strengths and cover each other's weaknesses. What a concept! I agree with Dana, "Who knew there was a plan!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Thank you God for marriages to Godly men who help us see you more clearly!
Happy Anniversary, my friends!
Heather, you and Jason are both so awesome, to me and so many others who share my opinion. It's only fitting that God would give the 2 of you 11 happy but challenging years of marriage as a reward for your service to Him. And I am BEYOND encouraged to read that not only you 2, but also Jeanne and Van, gave in to immature fights in the beginning of your relationships! I'm not the only one? I threw my engagement ring at Lee one time, fully expecting to just pick it back up after the smoke cleared and put it back on. Much to my dismay, he picked it up and KEPT it and made me earn it back, along with the promise that it would never be thrown again. And it never was. God grows us together, in our marriages and also in our relationships with Him, and the parallel is too sweet to ignore.
Isn't marriage glorious? I love you both. CONGRATULATIONS!
Marcy
Congratulations! WOW! What an inspiration you are to me! I love you both so much and love that God gave me/us friends to help us grow in Him and in our marriages. I agree wholeheartedly with Marcy: Isn't marriage glorious?! I have to tell you, I wondered if God would EVER give me the chance to find out, but boy did He and boy is it awesome! Thanks for sharing: your heart, your thoughts, your lives and your love for Him.
I LOVE YOU!
I was trying to think back to our 11th and it dawned on me that we were at Memorial, and Evan was 6 and Rachel was 3. Sound familiar? God is so awesome. He knew that we needed to be in this church family for our sake and for our children's sake. We had so many wonderful godly examples of lives lived in submission to God and to each other. It's hard to imagine how long ago that was. This July we will celebrate 25 wonderful years together and I must say that each year has been better than the one before. What an awesome blessing it is when God is at the center of a relationship. That is a foundation that can not be shaken. God bless you both. It is such a joy to be a part of your life. You bless us.
Congratulations on 11 years! Saul and I will be there in a couple of months. It has been great. It seems like we've been married forever- I can't imagine life without him.
Love you guys! Come see us!
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