Nancy and I have been together since I was in the 8th grade and she was in the 7th grade, with only a few short moments apart in our dating years. We have been married nearly 32 years. Our secret to success? She is the most patient person on earth . . . well, maybe not the most patient person, but certainly the most tolerant person . . . . well, maybe not the most tolerant person, but certainly the most persevering person . . . . well . . .
You get the point. Nancy and I have shared 'a lot of water running under the bridge' in our years of marriage, yet the one thing that has remained constant is our love for each other. Love for each other does not expect the other to be perfect, but continues to love in spite of, and sometimes because of, the imperfections. When we said to each other, "For better or worse" we had absolutely no idea how those words would be tested. Yet, love has made us both more patient with each other. Love has made us more tolerant with each other. Love has shown us the value of persevering when others might have quit. Love has seen us through.
Maybe that is a part of what the Apostle Paul was thinking when he wrote the 13th Chapter of First Corinthians. Paul undertakes the difficult task of imaging God to people who were quite accustomed to all the gods of the culture and the one way Paul had come to know God, the one way Paul knew others would come to know God, and the one way Paul was certain others would be able to differentiate God from all the other gods was 'Love'. Paul articulates God with a word picture of Love, and Love never ends.
In all of the moments that Nancy had every reason to walk out the door, love kept us together. In all of the days when Nancy had every reason to question where my call was leading, love kept us walking together. In all of the trials through which our marriage has had to struggle (and through those I'm sure are still before us), love is the final word.
Want to know God? Ponder the depth, width, height and fullness of love as you have been privileged to experience it . . . then ponder this: as great as love is on this earth, it is only a shadow of the love God has for all people. If what I am experiencing in this life (in the love of my wife for me) is just a foreshadowing of the fullness of God known to all in love, then my human mind will simply never be able to fully comprehend God, for love that great defies human understanding.
On this Valentine's Day, I am in love with a woman whose love for me I cannot hope to equal, so I strive to walk with her that I grow forever towards her heart which beats so strongly in binding us as one. For me, Nancy is more than a 'spouse' or 'helpmate', which are quaint colloquialisms of a provinical Christianity, she is my love, a gift of God with whom I share the journey and through whom I am privileged to see our Maker. As deeply as I am in love with her, I pray the God of all love fills your heart even more abundantly with the love of one with whom you may spend all your days as joyfully.
Your servant in Christ,
Pastor Don
4 comments:
Love is shown on all days, not just the commercialized holiday that Valentine's Day has become. God loves us every day, not just on one specific day (thank goodness!). So, in the middle of June, pick up a bouquet of gas station flowers for your significant other (or whatever), and remember that God loves us all every day.
It is really refreshing to hear about someone loving someone else, but in all reality it does not happen that often. Many people do not experience real love their whole life long. You are one of the fortunate souls who have. Congratulations!
But for every one of you there are thousands who don't. There are so many people who do not have a clue how to love anyone but themselves. That is evident in all the divorces.
I wonder if God weeps for those who are not loved by anyone and in the real world there are too many unloved and forgotten.
For some people Valentines Day is just another day, it has nothing to do with love. It’s a Hallmark Day only. Thank goodness God doesn’t love us just on Valentines Day, but God loves each one of us every single day. So it is God’s Day everyday. That is the Good News. Happy God’s Day!
Just as our faith walk is a journey so are our marriages and relationships with others. I am glad to see that you are still making progress and appreciative of your spouse. Just as we are apt to take them for granted we also take God for granted and need to count our blessings,each and every day.
Amen - She is a keeper as a sister too!!!! Isabel
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