Today is our eleventh wedding anniversary. We were married at noon on a snowy day. Eight months before, we had just met on America Online. But we knew it was meant to be. We had a lovely wedding and it was a happy day in every way.
Eleven years ago I could not have predicted that my life would be what it is today. I would have thought I would be thinner, have more money, have more children (who were also older), have a bigger house, have had less sorrow and relational pain, have had better health, and have had less spiritual hardship.
But life truly is what happens when you are making other plans. It is a journey full of the unexpected.
We’ve had unexpected joys and surprises. We’ve also had a lot of detours and washed out bridges and stalled cars and rain delays in our eleven years. And while some have been painful, all of them have served a useful purpose.
Because without them, we wouldn’t be where we are today. Rich in love, rich in parenthood, rich in our needs being met, rich in people who care about us, rich in spiritual opportunities and growth, and rich in the gift of time and perspective.
No, marriage has not been what I would have expected. It has, in fact, been far better. So many people, including Christians, speak so lowly of the marriage relationship, that one is tempted to wonder if it really can be good over the longrun. And can it not just be good. Can it be great? Yes, I think it can.
I would have hesitated to say this before I had been married for several years. Too many people say that marriage is great because you are newlyweds. Well, there may be some truth to that, but I can see plenty of miserable newlyweds around me as well. But after eleven years I can say that marriage is wonderful if you are married to the right person. It is not perfect. I’m not perfect. David isn’t perfect. We both have our faults, our baggage, our insecurities, our selfishness, and our inherited sinful nature. But even the hardest days, the most disappointing days, have been better because of David.
Thank you, Heavenly Father, for this gift.