Sounds like a
criminal sentence, doesn’t it, but it’s not.
Tomorrow will be our 25th anniversary, and what a miracle it
is that we are still together. With all
we have been through and all we’ve had to overcome, the changes within were not
entirely positive and so we have learned to adapt as we go along the
matrimonial journey. Still, there’s
another reason I say it’s a miracle.
Albert was my
first and only boyfriend. Though I’d
wanted to wait until 28ish, well, I couldn’t wait that long after I got to know
him. So… we were engaged, I told my
parents (his were down south with no way to inform them) and then he told all
our friends. That was when the panic set
in. I had never stayed with a man- other
than my Dad- for more than 24 hours.
What if I couldn’t do it? What if
we drove each other crazy? What if I
wasn’t able to stick with one man for all my life- or a year- or even a week?
Marriage is
honorable in all… Hb. 13:4
Getting
married is easy; staying married requires hard work especially in today’s
environment… harder than you will
ever do at a paid job. But the best
things in life are worth the effort.
Salvation is similar. Getting
saved is easy; walking out your salvation is not! We battle the flesh, the devil, his fellow
workers, our families and friends sometimes, our co-workers, and the old human
nature.
Life is
hard. Sometimes it changes us- and not
for the better. We need to learn to live
and adapt in this new Christian environment we walk through. And we need to put effort towards the journey
and not expect God to do it all for us.
The best marriages involve really good communication with each
other. Likewise, our ‘spiritual power’
will come from good communication with God.
That’s two way communication by the way.
Not only do we need to speak, but also be still and listen; listen to the voice of the Messiah.
Fortunately, we do not fight alone. There is One who is with us (Mt. 28:20), stands
beside us (Js. 1:9) in the journey ready to be our defense (Ps. 5:11), our
offense (Ex. 14:14), our guard, our refuge (Ps. 46:1), our strength (Is. 41:10). So no matter how tough our journey is in
these bodies of flesh, we can only ‘serve one life sentence’. After that, we have an eternity in the most
beautiful and perfect place ever with the Love of our lives.
Thank You
Lord.
No matter how many years we must
endure hardship here, it is worth an eternity with You!