Things I have learned from 35 years of marriage:
Forgiveness – I have learned how to give forgiveness, and probably even harder, how to receive forgiveness.
Faithfulness – I have learned how God has shown up every time to help, heal and renew. I have observed how to imitate Our Father In Heaven in learning to be faithful.
Grace – Grace is not just a burp in God’s justice, but an enabling of his purpose in our lives and our marriage.
Change – I have learned that I need to change and that I cannot change my wife.
Repentance – I have trafficked here way too often and have had to seek forgiveness with repentance – and if not, how to repent anyway.
Courage – We are living our lives, unscripted, unrehearsed. We live to face the music each day’s song with a smile and hope for our future.
Respect – I have had to learn to respect just because. Respect is paramount to our success and our ability to move forward.
I have learned to communicate – She doesn’t always think my thoughts the way I think she should. Nor do I think hers. Thus, we’ve needed to talk and listen to each other.
Humility – Realizing that I am not what this is about. We are walking together; we are side by side; we are equally engaged and responsible. We, us, our, are our pronouns of choice. If I hurt her, it hurts us. If she hurts me, we ‘smart’ together. If I give up my life, I get ours. I win by giving.
Giving – We have decided that it is not 50/50. If we are giving, it is all in 100%/100%. What is mine is ours. What is hers is ours. We have given and had given up, but what we have given up we have gained back in spades. I would have us, we, and ours all over again. She and the marriage that she shares with me are so worth it.
Love – How much time do you have? – We have loved each other deeply from the heart. We believe that “Love never fails…” (1 Corinthians 13:8, NIV)
Love is a four letter word and sometimes it is plain old work. Sometimes it is spelled, WORK.
These are some of my thoughts about today.
Here is my thought about my wife, “Linda I love you so much. You are the one that I adore, honour and serve with my entire life.” I love you, babe!
Phil
You Don’t Have To Live; You Get To!
