Celebrating 5 Years of Marriage

Today is our 5 year wedding anniversary and I thought I’d share a few thoughts on our marriage up to this point:

We are not perfect. (No kidding!) I might have thought we were both pretty close before we got married but marriage is a good way to reveal those hidden flaws. However, I would much rather have those things revealed so that the Lord can work on them! “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17) We are better together because the Lord uses us to sharpen each other and cause each other to grow. I am so thankful for Joe’s gentle sharpening through the last 5 years and for the ways he continually challenges me to go deeper in God.

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25) I am continually amazed, blessed, and grateful for the ways my husband seeks to love me with the same love that Jesus loves His bride, the church. Over the last 5 years, I have watched him grow in selflessness as he joyfully serves me and our children, putting our needs before his own.

“Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord.” (Ephesians 5:22) I have learned that I have trouble submitting to the Lord – I tend to lean towards the mantra, “I do what I want, when I want, how I want” – and I learned about this area of weakness through discovering that I didn’t really want to submit to my husband either. Apparently, these to go hand-in-hand with each other, so I’m praying that as I grow in one area, it will also translate to growth in the other. I’m a bit of a slow learner, so maybe ask me in another five years how I’m doing and hopefully I’ll be able to say that I have too have grown in selflessness and have learned how to submit to my earthly husband and my heavenly Bridegroom.

⁹ Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:
¹⁰ If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!
¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?
¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
(Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)

Yes, I realize I’m using a lot of cliché marriage passages, but it really is true! “Two are better than one” and I’m so glad I have someone next to me as my partner in life, to help me up when I fall down, to keep me warm (yes, I made a good cuddler out of him!), and to fight alongside me in the battles that come our way. I am immensely grateful for a husband who listens to the voice of the Holy Spirit and who is intensely in love with Jesus – “a cord of three strands is not quickly broken“.

Thank you honey for five amazing years and may we share many more!