22 Years and Counting!

THEN........
Yes, it's official! As of today, Dave and I have been married 22 years! And now I am feeling really old, because I've been married as many years as I was single! Can this be true?

Dave and I took a drive over to Berkeley today. Although it was raining on the way over there, we experienced a beautiful, sun-shiny afternoon. Truth be told, Dave and I love the rain and would not have been disappointed had it rained all day, but we did enjoy our walks in the bright light of the crisp, cold day.

It may sound corny, but I consider myself blessed beyond measure to be married to Dave. Now.......DON'T GET ME WRONG! We have struggles just like every other married couple, and NEITHER one of us is perfect by any stretch of the imagination (just ask our kids!). There have been hard times, questioning times, blissful times, boring times, joy-filled times, hold-on-to-your-seats times, and just about every other time you can think of - JUST LIKE THE TIMES IN YOUR MARRIAGE!

Before meeting Dave, I had chosen a path that was leading me away from what God had for me. I didn't fully put my trust in God, and I took some things into my own hands, afraid that maybe God wasn't real, didn't care, and didn't have a plan for my life. That path held overwhelming hurt, betrayal, loneliness, and darkness. Had I not fully surrendered those things to the Lord after an intense time of hurt and loss, I would not have been open to what He had for me - David. I KNOW WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAVED FROM WHICH IS WHY I FULLY APPRECIATE THE BLESSING OF MY MARRIAGE! God's grace is overwhelming; this is why I consider myself blessed.

When Dave and I became engaged (on April 21, 1985 in a meadow in Yosemite with El Capitan and Half Dome looking on), we made a commitment verbally, and in our hearts, that we would never leave one another; no matter what, we would stay. Have we thought back to that commitment a time or two or a thousand? YES! Really now...........in marriage, it would be WAY easier in the moment of a tough time to bail, but that short-term easy answer would not have been the right thing and the consequences would have always followed us.

I think of the verses in Philippians which say, "Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider [your spouse] better than yourself. ...You should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of [your spouse]." There have been times when my selfish flesh has wanted to look out for only MY interests, but I am to consider Dave as better than myself. That doesn't mean I put myself down, but it does mean that I must consider what would be best for Dave and our marriage. And honestly, selfish ambition and vain conceit never lead to unity - in a marriage, in other relationships, or in a church. However, putting other people first, while still maintaining healthy and scriptural boundaries, does lead to unity and it brings glory to God. That is my ultimate prayer - that my marriage would bring glory to God, not because of any goodness on my part, but because of the gift of His amazing grace to me which I can pour out to my husband, and Dave can (and does) pour out that same grace to me.

As I said before, I consider myself blessed.

Wow! I didn't know where this post would lead when I sat down to share that we've celebrated a great day together, but I do pray that what poured out through my fingertips tonight is in someway honoring to the One who has given us so much.

Today.......