He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the LORD.
Proverbs 18:22
First of all, congratulations Jonathan and Riley (who won’t even see this since they’re on their honeymoon!). And congratulations Tony and Sidney who just got back from theirs! All these weddings this year really have me thinking about marriage (with two still to go!). As you read these words, Amy and I are on a trip celebrating our 41st anniversary (over a month late in order to coordinate with the Cardinal’s playing schedule, but if you know Amy, you get it!). It’s reminded me what a good gift from God marriage truly is! I don’t mean by that, that it’s always easy. It’s certainly not! My friend Paul Washer once said that “marriage is a kind of death: It requires you to die to yourself in order to serve someone else and put their needs ahead of your own.” We certainly have found that to be true. It is a death, to be sure – but not the “bad news” kind of death to be avoided, but the “good news” (ie Gospel) kind. It is a redemptive death like that of Christ, one that leads to new life and to shared joys and to humbly learning to put others ahead of yourself for God’s glory!
As I look back over our 41 years together, I do so with a great deal of gratitude in my heart for God’s persistent, faithful work in each of us. We’ve had our hard times. We’ve endured the struggles that come when two selfish people try to make a life together. We’ve been hurt and healed and forced to cling to God’s promised mercy in Christ, believing it will be worth it in the end. And without fail, it has been. At every stage, through every blessing and challenge, God has been faithfully present. And that has made all the difference in the world. That’s why there really is no one I would rather spend this time with than her, sharing together in God’s faithful grace of Christian marriage.
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gifts, both in time and in eternity!
Pastor Scott