Ours has not been an easy relationship. We have had our share of winding roads and conflict. For a year and a half prior to our tenth anniversary, we were separated. I can honestly say that I would have been doubtful if someone had assured me then that we would make it to our 25th. But, God is good. He has been so very gracious. He has drawn us back together in ways we couldn't even begin to anticipate or fathom.
Of course, I would love to be able to write some post offering 25 words of wisdom gleaned from 25 years of marriage, but I fully realize that I have no business writing such a piece. Not that I haven't learned a ton from my marriage, but I don't feel qualified to offer advice to others. Ours has been a hard-won victory and I am still clinging to the Lord for the strength to remain in this covenant relationship.
Any time you take two people and put them together to join as one, you will bump up against warring backgrounds, values, assumptions, expectations, and dysfunctions. In looking for a cite-worthy post on lessons from marriage, I read one blogger who stated that if you had to work at a relationship, then it probably wasn't really a great relationship to pursue. While this might be true when approaching marriage, it is potential dynamite to a couple who have already made a commitment to one another. Don't ever believe someone who tells you that marriage isn't or shouldn't be hard work. It is HARD. There is no way around that. But, it IS worth it!
So, here's the very best article I found on the Internet offering up 25 lessons from 25 years of marriage. Written by Cindi McMenamin, it highlights several concepts I have learned and many I need to put into daily practice. I'm so thankful that we continue to fight for our relationship. I'm grateful for my husband's enduring love and patience. If anything, my wish for the next 25 years is that I would be a better wife than I have been and that I would turn to the Lord to meet needs I think my spouse should be filling. Trite, but true: I do not know what the future holds, but I do know Who holds my future!
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