30 years

    Last week my beloved husband and I celebrated our 30th anniversary. What a miracle!
    A couple of weeks ago I was putting together a photo album of pictures that were taken of Jerry and myself before we were married. They were from our months of dating. We had no knowledge of what lay before us. We were living on joy and fun, never realizing what would come. Dreaming of all the blessings that we thought God would bestow upon us: children, careers, house, material goods, spiritual growth... Never could we have imaged that any of those things would come with consequences. We figured we were good Christians, and that God would surely make our marriage be all sunshine and butterflies, hearts and sweetness.
    Now that I look back over the 30 years, I am amazed that we are still married, let alone very happily married. God has done so much in our lives. The blessings came in ways that we would have never imagined. They came in the five miscarries. They came in the disabilities of our only child. They came in mental illness. They came in trials and tribulations. They even came through bitterness and hatred.
Romans 8:28 promises that God will work out everything for the good....of those who love him. There were so many times when our stinking sin tried to ruin everything, but God, in his amazing love and patience, won every victory. Once we confessed our sins (which is a daily need), God forgave us and cleansed us and did miraculously in us.
    I truly believe that my marriage is all due to the Lord. He is the one who has kept it together, strengthened it, and made it what it is today. For that, and for so much more, I give all the praise, glory, and thanksgiving to my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.