My Beloved Siestas,
Today is Keith’s and my twenty-ninth anniversary and my mind has been awhirl all day long. I wanted to share a few things that are on my heart because many of you are married and more than a handful of you could probably use some encouragement. I’ve had such a sweet day but, strangely, not with Keith. He’s out of town – yes, again – but don’t feel too sorry for me. I am a well-loved woman and he and I will celebrate plenty when he gets home. And, anyway, this is what I get for scheduling our wedding day during the best part of hunting season. I was with him out of town until last night and he’ll be home in a few days.
In many ways, it’s appropriate for me to occasionally spend my wedding anniversary alone with Jesus. After all, this day is as much about He and me as Keith and me. Two more messed up people have never converged into one household. Talk about the double portion of dysfunction. Neither one of us were strong people. Neither one of us had our head together. We absolutely did not have what it took. God alone did it. He required a whole lot out of us a whole lot of times but He alone could have empowered us to give it. The rest was just a stinkin’ miracle.
I think Jesus just wanted me to spend this day in deliberate grateful reflection about His part in my marriage. Conspicuously, none of the people I usually sit with were at church this morning. All my young girl friends were out of town and many of the families that I usually sit near were also in absentia today. I have many loved ones in that worship service so, certainly, I could have gotten up and taken a seat by any number of people but, by that time, I was onto what I believed God wanted from me. He wanted me all to Himself…and after I got it, I was tenderly flattered. I sat alone, worshipped alone, listened to the sermon alone, then had lunch alone. And, except for a few minutes when Melissa came by, have spent the day alone. But so very much un-alone. I had an invisible Date for my wedding anniversary. One who wanted to remind me that He’s the only reason why I’ll have a visible date in a few days (late). One gray at the temples and tan and weathered of skin, but just as handsome as the day I married him. And a whole lot sweeter. I like him better these days. He does me, too.
Some of the things God has taught Keith and me are not for public consumption. Others are meant to be shared. These are a handful of things God has helped us practice along the way that led up to this particular day:
*We try more often to live by the law of kindness. In the old days, we’d figure out one another’s weakness then aim that direction with arrows of harsh words on purpose. Most of the time these days, we avoid the targets that we know good and well are the other’s Achilles’ heel. We just don’t like to be mean much anymore.
*We snuggle a lot. We have a big, long couch in our den but a whole lot of times we sit in the leather chair that’s almost not big enough for one hind end. Let alone two. Or three when Beanie gets jealous.
*We still talk a lot – over coffee, walking dogs, or bubble baths – and try to be interested in the other one’s world even when we don’t get it one iota. When you have a mix like Beth the Librarian and Keith the Barbarian, you have to try extra hard.
*We’ve had to choose to put stuff behind us. We have had no few problems, no few differences, and no few conflicts and, if we wanted to keep a record of wrongs, we could have a list long enough to trip over for the rest of our lives. Neither one of us thinks highly of letting the other run all over us nor is either of us likely to keep an opinion to ourselves. We still fight. But then we get on with living and make a choice not keep punishing each other with yesterday’s stuff. Life’s too short and a house too small. You have to forgive – and be forgiven – a ton.
*We just keep going. This isn’t going to sound profound but it’s actually one of the biggest things God has used to turn a rocky start into twenty-nine years. We just kept getting through the night till the sun would come up and we’d made it another day. Before we knew it, the next anniversary rolled around. And we’d be so glad. And little by little, we just got happier and happier. Hard times have always come calling but so have good times. God just gave us the wherewithal not to quit before the next sweet season came. Oh, that He’d continue to.
I am so tender to those of you who have endured the pain of divorce and I plead with you not to let this entry invite you to destructive feelings of condemnation or failure. I know how hard marriage can be. I know what a miracle it takes at times and how willing both parties have to be to receive it. But, with your blessing and your security in Christ, I also need to be able to say to those who may be on the edge of giving up, please, I beg you, don’t. Just make it through the night and see the sun come up tomorrow morning from your knees. Fight your battles ferociously with your face to the floor. Give God time and room. Wives, quit being the husband. Fire yourself. Let God take it over. Get counseling if you need it – even if your man won’t – but don’t quit. Even if you don’t love him…or like him. Even if you hate him. God can soften a heart of granite if you’ll let Him. Wait it out a little longer. Laugh a little harder. Snuggle a little tighter. Love by faith. Not just by sight. As the Apostle Paul says, all that matters is faith expressing itself through love.
Yep. Some anniversaries are more about God and you than your spouse and you. Like this one. Gotta go. My cell phone’s ringing and it better be Keith.
Or he’s had it.
Beth,
You are so right. My man and I have had some rocky roads to travel, but to the Praise of His Glorious Grace, we are still together. It is not easy, but then again, what is?! God has brought us so far and has done some mighty hard work on me personally. He has shown me how self centered and prideful I have been in the early days of my marriage. He has FORGIVEN me and still loves me. So does my man!!
Thanks for this awesome post!! Happy Anniversary!
Leah
http://www.thepoint-leah.blogspot.com
29 years living on THE ROCK, your
sure foundation. Jesus is the only ROCK I want my marriage built on as well. Congratulations Beth and Kieth!!!!!!! (My Jeff and I just had our 19th on Dec. 17th)
Beth, as pretty as a picture and
Keith, one stud-buck…one tall drink a water-whoowhee!! What a
couple! Nothing but pure gorgeousness with you two! And that’s just on the outside, all of
us siestas have had a wee little peek at your temple and we like what we see there as well. More real beauty there on the inside and that’s what makes the outside look soooooooo……GREAT!!!!! Your inward brightness and shine come beaming right through and all we really see is JESUS. I understand that there are skinned up knees and some rough edges that may need a little sand paper from time to time…..we all do, but you’all really DO THE WORK and that’s what I admire and love the most about you. GENUINE…SIMPLY GENUINE. I am so
proud of you Beth and Keith as I know ALL my Siestas are too. You are an inspiration to us all and you are loved very much.
Congratulations for the good gifts your Father in Heaven has given you!!!!! We celebrate this with you as well!! 29 years – Yahoojah!!!!!!!!!
Love, Angela in Redmond, WA and
Lisa (hisfivefooter)
As someone who is about to celebrate twenty-one years with the one she loves, I thank you for your honest words. Marriage is the hardest thing two people can do. And it would be easier to give up and quit. Sometimes I still wonder, shouldn’t I have gotten this by now? But yet I agree, it’s certainly sweeter now than it was twenty-one years ago. You just love them differently, you know? Better, stronger. And I do love that man. Even when I look at him and wonder what the heck he’s thinking. Many blessings to you and Keith.
What a wonderful post and GREAT advice and insight for those who are married. Happy Anniversary!! I have been divorced 10 years now and I loved what you wrote to those who are married. I fought for my marriage but in the end it just wasn’t so but God used that time to heal me and teach me through a very difficult season in my life. It is from you that I learned to have “dates” with Jesus. Enjoying a sunrise, taking a walk, eating breakfast) I love to include Him in everything. I wrote a recent post for single moms on my blog. The jest of it, chase Him, not a man! God taught me to spend my time focusing on HIm instead of focusing on a man and if God wanted me to remarry it would be in His time. SO, this is longer than I intended. I am sure it sounds weird coming from a divorced woman but I agree with what you said about marriage and I pray for those strugging in their marriages and I believe they can look at Keith and you and so many others and see that God can indeed heal a marriage.
Love,
Patty
Oh Beth, what a beautiful post. We celebrated 30 years in May. Thank you for your prayers with me at one of your events February ’07 in East Texas. I don’t know if you realize how much God uses you to minister to all of us; those who blog and those who just read and offer up thanks to Jesus on your behalf.
Beth, Happy Anniversary!! On January 18th we’re looking at 38 years!! (We married “really” young)!
We have had our struggles, and yes, I did choose to leave hubby for a short period of time but decided that was NOT what God had planned for me/us so came back home.
Glad I did….we both got back into church regularly and God has blessed us for that.
We still struggle with many issues in our marriage and we seem to be in another season right now. Don’t know why. I just keep praying it up. God knows all about it and that’s all that matters!
Dearest Beth,
Can I just say that you so hit the mark with this post today. I have been married for almost 16 years…some of those years have been wonderful and others have been purely awful. Many times lately I have remembered hearing you say that you went to your car and closed all of the windows and screamed at the top of your lungs, “Release Me!.” I have felt that way in recent days, but KNOW more than I know anything that GOD has a plan for our marriage. I know that HE hasn’t miraculously kept us this long to let us go down now…although, some days it sure seems that would be easier.
Thanks for your encouraging words. Thanks for being an example. Thanks for carrying the torch. And thanks for reminding us that even on the darkest of nights the sun (SON) will rise again and there is still much glory to come. I love you!
You are so real
Being honest about how you feel
Thank you Jesus for Keith & Beth
29 years they have stood the test
Thank you Lord for the hope
When we feel our marriage is at the end of the rope
Thank you Lord for hope
Thank you Lord for hope
Beth encourages us to press on
Even on an anniversary when her man is gone
To snuggle, to talk, to be kind
Help us to also “put stuff behind”
For encouraging us to love by faith and not by sight
For modeling what is good, the Truth is always right
Thank you Lord for their 29 years
Help others to be encouraged though laden with tears
Thank you Lord for their 29 years!
For His Name
Thanks for the sweet reminder. Congratulations on 29 years…we will make 27 in May, by the grace of God.
Congratulations to you and Keith…but more to you and God. How does He do it? He alone saved my marriage as well. No two people have ever been so close to divorce daily as my sweet man and I. For 10 years everyone thought we were the most perfect couple and had everything that you could possibly dream of having…but we were completely falling apart, from day one. We fought like no one would believe and, like you said, always aimed to kill. We were mean to each other and, literally overnight, God decided enough was enough. He changed us on a dime…and over time, it has gotten better and better. My husband and I always adored each other but we couldn’t agree over dinner! It was pathetic. What an amazing work God has done in my marriage, it still amazes me. I am so grateful for His … well, His everything! His mercy, His love, His grace, His longsuffering, His holiness, His power and strength, good grief, there’s nothing about Him I’m not grateful for. In my life and yours. And in every other brother and sister’s life out there where He has done and is doing a might work! He is wonderful and it IS all about Him. Praise Him! Lisa
Thanks for that awesome look at marriage and specifically yours and Keith’s! My parents have been married 29 years today!! They too have been a great example of making it work when there are several things against you. They married at 20, had me at 22 and my sister at 24. My dad has said that they grew up as we did.
Happy Anniversary the Moore’s!!!
Love you!
Nikki
Mama Beth, I am blubbering like a simmering tomato sauce! As a person who had to endure the pain of acrimonious separation and ultimately a sad, sad divorce, but on the verge of finally marrying the person the Lord had intended for me all along (and boy did that entail a LOT of kickin’ and screamin’ on my part!), your words touch me to the very marrow. I will cherish them forever, for sure (I’ve already printed them and tucked them in to my wallet, which follows me everywhere!)
Happy Anniversary Siesta Beth, and Siesto (!!) Keith. Here’s to 29×29 more years of love and togetherness!
maria cristina
ydigrHow sweet and encouraging!
I’ve been married for 18 years and it’s been absolutely the biggest blessing, besides salvation, that God has ever given me.
This is not my first marriage but certainly my last (until death do us part.) I say that to encourage those who have been thru the painful death of a marriage.
Our God is a redeemer so let’s sing it! We either sing it single or sing it divorced or sing it married, but it will remain the absulte Truth whether we see it today or believe it for tomorrow.
Beth, you are a striking portrait of our Redeemer’s love and recompense. May the Lord bless you and keep you in every way He directs your path.
And, by all means, let me give a shout out to my big siesta…
Happy Stinkin’ Anniversary!!!
Love to my siestas,
Pam
Oh Beth…take it from this woman who is divorced…keep on preaching it…I battled a divorce I did not want for 3 long years…and God used you in many ways to encourage me to keep fighting…He told me on countless occasions my job was to be the wife of I Peter…and love the man that He sovereignly placed in my life. He still divorced me, he refused to get rid of his girlfriend…but guess what…I know I did what God asked me to do…and let me tell you there is NOTHING sweeter than that and I have very few regrets…and God has blessed me beyond what I could have asked thought or imagined with a husband who loves Jesus! I can honestly tell you that that worst time of my life was the most precious time of my life with God…He is my all in all the ONE who NEVER leaves or forsakes us and for what I gained in my relationship with Him it was ALL worth it…HE IS FAITHFUL! God used you, Bible Study Fellowship, and Kay Arthur’s study Marriage Without Regrets in ways you will never know…so if I can be of any encouragement to anyone out there…Do your part…be the wife God calls you to be in I Peter 3:1-6 but you do have to look back to 2:21-25 to find out what that same way is…fight with everything you have…and trust God that He has a plan and it is good…Beth, keep preaching it…it is truth!
Happy Anniversary from one Beth to another!
I am so glad you two made it! The difference between a marriage with God and without is astounding. Had I invited Him in to my first marriage, perhaps it would have been my only. But He is undoubtedly present in this one and what a blessing he has given me in my Jeff! I pray it stays that way and that we will only grow happier and closer, just like you and Keith. And I pray that trend continues for the two of you.
Happy New Year!
I’ll bookmark this one for future times, after 14 years of marriage we too know it’s been God and not us; right now things are good but there are those days, and have been those days… thanks for the encouragement and may you enjoy another 29 years!!
Happy Anniversary! Blessings to you both. Thank you for always being so open to us. You truly are a wonderful blessing to me. My in-laws will celebrate their 50th Anniversary tomorrow. We celebrate Christmas with my husbands family tonight and at midnight (every year since I have been invited, 1979 to be exact. We bring out the anniversary gifts.) Spending every New Years Eve with his family is a blessing in it self. Some of the family members sometimes feel they are missing out in some way, not being able to go out on the town. Well anyway. God bless! Jolinda!
Yes! Yes! Yes! ‘Love by faith, not sight! Fight ferociously! Yes! Praise God for you and your words and His word through you!
I was just praying before I opened my computer…about my marriage and all that 2007 had brought. It has been a rough year. We went through something a couple of years ago. We had plans we thought would work out one way, but God had other plans for us.
For 2 years I had been trying to figure out what I was to glean from that lesson I knew God was teaching me. I knew some things for certain, but He pulled back the curtain of revelation Bigtime last spring (smack-dab in the middle of trying to lead the Daniel study) and it wasn’t pretty!
But what profound changes my husband and I have gone through since trying to heal. As I was saying, I had just been praying for continued healing and continued blessing in our lives. Because it is absolutely, unequivically, without a doubt that God is THE only reason we are still together.
Through it all-the whole ordeal- I have never more clearly seen God’s provision for us, His faithfulness to us, His protection over us, and His timing in the most amazing, mind-blowing way. Take heart! God is Good,Siestas! God is Good!
Beth, thank you for your words and your anniversary reflection!
Mindy Jo
Congratulations, Beth and Keith! And thanks for sharing.
Oh thank you Ms. Beth! I just love and always need the encouragement because as you have said to us all….”Life can just be dang hard!”
Congrats on the anniversary! I bet you and Keith have a wonderful celebration when he returns….
Love to you both~
Fran
Beth,
Today is our 24th wedding anniversary, and we too have had, and continue to have, some hard days and difficult struggles. Marriage, I think, is never easy all the time. In our case, we brought so much past pain and unresolved issues with us into our marriage and spent years working them out on each other. I can so relate to the challenge to just get through one more night and see the next morning.
Thanks for sharing such sweet, encouraging, and challenging thoughts.
Hugs to you,
Adrienne
Congratulations on 29 years. We will celebrate 27 years in the first part of 2008. And so much of what you shared is so true about my precious man and me. We are sooo opposite, but God took two opposites and put us together to make a whole…but it isn’t always easy…but to the glory of God we are making the journey.
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Beth, 29 years of a little bit of everything! Happy Aniversary! I so appreciate what you shared with us and plan on sharing it with my husband also.
Your tenderness towards us touches us all so deeply, thank you for caring for us so much that you share intimately with us so we can experience Jesus as you do.
much love to you and Keith (and I hope that was him on the phone!)
🙂
bunny
First of all, Happy Anniversary and Congratulations on your 29 years!
I will celebrate my 25th this year, and interestingly enough, my husband and I were just talking about it yesterday. It made me take stock of the blessing of all those years, the struggles and the rapturous joy that have been woven through each one. The wisdom provided in your list of things learned is very real and very profound…especially the “keep going” part. We determined at the very beginning (which astonishes me since we were 19 and 20 at the time), that divorce simply wasn’t going to be an option. As mad as we’ve been at each other, or as desperate as we have become from time-to-time, I can honestly say that I’ve never thought of leaving. I don’t think he has either.
Now in the middle of my life, I’ve walked alongside many a friend who has known the sorrow and despair of divorce. I don’t for a moment take my marriage or the stability therein for granted. I can’t afford to. It’s precious. And often-times, precious things are fragile. They require extra care and attention, proper handling, and most of all, a solid foundation on which to stand.
Yes…Happy Anniversary and many more ahead…to all THREE of you!
Such sweet and strong words Miss Beth. My eyes overflow with tears and my heart with love for our God. Almost three years ago I was sure I didn’t and couldn’t love my husband anymore. As I wrote before, this is when God saved us. The reason this post hits me so hard is because God softened my heart of grantite and created in me a new, strong, deep love for my husband. ONLY GOD could pull this off! My man and I still fight and have a long way to go, but with each new bump in the road, as we rely on the Lord, he leads and guides and smooths (is this a word?) the road ahead of us. Thanks you Miss Beth for your encouragement and love for us. Thank you also for your faithfulness to Jesus and Keith. You have had a profound impact on my life and marriage (13 years in June!)and for this I praise the Lord. Love in Jesus, Kim in PA
I also need to say that even though God gave me a husband who loves Jesus and I am convinced he is the most amazing man and the one who is perfect for me…he is still a sinner and he is married to a sinner…marriage is still stinkin’ hard…and you know why…because we are all so stinkin’ self centered…James MacDonald said something once that made so much sense to me…”I love you is I’ve made a commitment to place your needs above my own. Not what we often think or mean–I love what you do for me. You make me feel good. What you are doing for me right now is working for the person I actually love the most, which is ME! What we are really saying is “I feel something–you’re making me feel something that I enjoy feeling– now that is NOT love–that is self-centeredness.”
God helped me in ways that I cannot express when He enabled me to memorize I Corinthians 13:4-9 and then HE brings it to mind when I am choosing not to love…gently and ever so kindly reminding me “My Child, My love is not self-seeking or My love keeps no records of wrong or my love is not proud…”
And just remembering my constant prayer is to be made more and more like Him…well marriage is a great opportunity to practice His love.
Beth, Congrats to you and Keith on celebrating 29 years of marriage! 🙂 Sadly, you don’t see much of that these days. I’m just a ‘baby’ in my marriage… 1 year, 3 months, 28 days. 🙂 Thank you for the encouragement for the long road ahead. I often wonder how it could get even better than it is now over the course of decades. Praising the Lord with you! \o/
Beautiful. Thank you for sharing your anniversary thoughts with us. Happy Anniversary!!
Thank you, Beth, for that word. I know this spoke to a lot of people, but it felt like it was just for me. Isn’t God cool like that? I have been married three years, and they have been the hardest three years of my life. There was no “honeymoon” stage, and I have begged God for a way out about every other day. I can’t stand the mean, hateful person I’ve become. Nothing like marriage to bring out the “ugly.” God has used this post to help me determine to hold on one more day…praying He will help me get out of the way of HIS work.
Congratulations, Beth and Keith.
29 years is a big thing especially in today’s world where it seems as easy to throw away marriage as it is the kitchen garbage. I almost attempted a new career as a garbage woman just this year. I was fed up with selfishness and rudeness and a lack of devotion to God. Then I chose to get myself right (amazing how those adjectives described me as much or more than they did my husband) and God has blessed. It is not easy and some days I am so ready to throw in the towel, raise the white flag, just walk away…but that is when God reminds me of His amazing power of restoration. He can restore me to Him, and He can put my marriage back together better than ever! Thank you for the encouragement to those of us following behind you. It is always a blessing to hear from someone who has walked through the struggle and made it out on the other side!
Many blessings in the new year!
Beth,
I check for updates, almost daily and always feel a little disappointed when there are no new ones. So glad that I found your latest blog this morning. In many ways, it came to me at a good time. I have been feeling very weary and not at peace but maybe this was the encouragement I needed to keep on going on!
Thanks, what a blessing this blog is for me and the classes that I take of yours at our church. I am getting ready to take “Stepping Up” and am sure that will be another big blessing to me.
Dear Beth,
thanks for sharing so many bits and pieces of your lives with us! You bless so many of us in so many ways! My man and I celebrated 22 years in August, and it gets better and better. Your statement to just hang in there every day is so true–sometimes we go through a season of can’t get enough of each other, and other times we are more like pals feeling distant; not really fighting, just not as close, not sharing one heart and mind. But I know the good times are a-coming again, and we fall in love all over again! It’s so sweet! God continues to bless us. I have incorporated your advice to pray daily that I desire my husband, and he desires me. It’s so special to be able to share Christ together.
I want to encourage the newly married–to start praying together, even if it’s awkward at first. Start with Grace at meals, and watch what happens!
Bless you, siesta, I pray for you often too, that God will continue to use you mightily.
Beth,
Thanks so much for sharing your heart with us. You’ll never know how much your post has helped. Many of God’s plans are being revealed and coming fruition in my life right now and I have never been under attack more than at this moment. Unfortunately that has carried over to my thoughts of my husband. I think he probably couldn’t drink a cup of coffee right in my eyes right now.:)I have theses feelings all the while he is working hard to see GOD’s plan revealed. I think I need to go plant my face on the carpet.
Thanks!!!
Miss Beth,
Well, I know you hear this all the time on this blog, but boy oh BOY was that timely for me. Talk about receiving a word! I was just this morning wishing I could fellowship with a sister about marriage, about the joys but yes the pains, about loving that person even when you don’t feel loved yourself, over embracing the journey instead of pining away for the “destination”, over the joy that comes from loving another person sacrificially, over allowing the Lord and the Lord only to be the true source of Joy, Hope, and Fulfillment in our lives so that whatever our spouse can give only seems like “extra” and a true blessing.
You have, in the past, when you have spoken so lovingly about your maverick husband, whom is so different from you in many ways, given me a lot of hope and a fresh perspective on my own wonderful husband, who is in many ways so different than I am. Thank you again today for this post, this encouragement, this discussion about this precious gift of marriage, and how, I believe, the true purpose of marriage is to help us have a better relationship with the Lord.
Blessings upon your next 29 years of marriage!
Sweet siesta how I love your encouraging words! Like you, my marriage is a testimony to the mighty power of God! I married a divorced, father of 2 so we STARTED with more than some couples ever see, but God (don’t you love those 2 words!) has been faithful to give us both the backbone to stand tall and fight. Sometimes we messed it up by fighting each other, but like you and Keith we’ve finally figured out that when we fight together God empowers us doubly! (is that a word?! haha)
Congratulations for makin’ it and I pray that Barbarian of yours brings home some good “eatin”!! Love to ya girl!!
Val
Beth – My congratulations! My honey and I will celebrate our 5th tomorrow (New Years Day). Sadly both of us are on our 2nd marriage, but God is faithful and I have learned that even if marriages dissolve, God will repair the relationship if you ask him to. I’m so thankful that my relationship with my ex-husband has been repaired and we are close friends – parenting apart but very much in sync. God is also faithful to point us toward the loving arms of the one appointed for us. My husband (unlike my-ex) is a man of faith who led me back to God so many years ago. Thanks for your wonderful tips, Beth. You are such an encouragement to us all!
Linda
Thank you Beth for sharing with us your special day with the One and Only and how He has blessed you and Keith with 29 years of marriage. It is a testimony of His enabling and equipping power and your endurance and commitment to Him,to Keith and to your family. Your posting came at the right time, I am feeling very discouraged with the lack of progress I’m seeing in our marriage but I will continue to hang in there as we seek Him.
“Anonymous” that posted at 9:29, my love and prayers go out to you. I too have been married 30 years and they haven’t gotten happier and happier but we have endured and we are getting counseling to try to make the future better for both us and our 2 young adults so that their future marriges will be better than ours. Regardless of what happens in your marriage, God will honor your love for Him and with your great overcoming, persevering attitude, your future is bright and full of hope because you’re trusting in the right Source. God Bless You and keep you strong in Him.
Beth, many blessings to you and Keith.
I want to write simply (yet oh so powerfully to let the women know who responded with hurts and marriages that are breaking that this morning I have been on my knees and even flat on my face for you. These are the verses that have been prayed for you.
Philippians 1:8-12
Collasians 1:9-13
2 Thess. 1:11-12
Daniel 2:20-23
Ephesians 6:18
Precious and full of good truths that my and mine have also learned in our 23 years of marriage. Keep at it ladies, it is worth every trial! I absolutely love being married and I am thankful to be in one of those incredibly bliss seasons right now.
I just finished reading Sacred Marriage and it is just an awesome book that I HIGHLY recommend with the main theme being What if God intended marriage more to make us holy than to make us happy? Ironically, if you view it that way, you will discover happiness you never dreamed of–in some cases, from the Lord, and in many cases from the Lord and your spouse. A fantastic read whether you are in a great marriage or a struggling one.
Happy Anniversary Beth & Keith!
I’ve already posted but I just wanted to add, after having read some of these precious comments, that if anyone else is reading them, please know that a sister is praying for each of you today! I think especially of that sister who has her bags packed. Sister, if you read this, I am PRAYING for you. If anyone finds themselves in that situation, I pray that they will seek some wise counsel from a Godly Christian to help them see clearly. We don’t, and can’t, walk alone. I am praying for each of you struggling in your marriage, or from a divorce, today.
In Christ,
Nicole
God is just amazing! I’m not married, and I know I’ll never know exactly what to expect, but I’m so thankful for your example of faith and the way God has worked in your marriage!
A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years. They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other, except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.
For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.
In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife’s bedside.
She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.
He asked her about the contents. “When we were to be married,” she said, “my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.”
The little old man was so moved, he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.
“Honey,” he said, “that explains the doll, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?”
“Oh,” she said, “that’s the money I made from selling the dolls.”
A Prayer…….
Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him;
And Patience for his moods;
Because Lord, if I pray for Strength,
I’ll beat him to death, because I don’t know how to crochet.
Congratulations to you and Keith, Beth! Thank-you for your words of encouragement and advice. God Bless you both, and your ministry in 2008.
Melana in Wyoming
I loved reading this and pray for a wonderful year for you and your husband. I have recently found this site and it is so in keeping with everything I know to be true about my faith and my relationship with Jesus.
I’ve been divorced for 10 years now – Jesus would have saved my marriage but I didn’t know him then. What I am able to do now is raise my beautiful sons in confidence and independence because that is what the Lord considers best for us right now. And there is such joy in doing this and I am grateful. Sometimes lonely but always grateful and quite often crazy happy too!
Thanks for being a new good influence in my life. x
Oh Beth thanks for speaking to us young’n girls. Next 2/2 I’ll celebrate 16 years of marriage with my HS sweetheart, got married at 18 and the last almost 7 years I feel as though I’m still on my 2nd honeymoon! Amazing enough this is how long I’ve been walkig with God, the more I fall in love with Him, the more HE allows me to love and see the good in my beloved! If I could just get this submission thing right, it will be smooth sailing but siesta, you need to just throw the ‘book’ at me on that one, but hey I’m working at it, amen??!!!
Beth- I am one of those that needed these words today. Married 9.5 years… with 3 children… wondering if we’ll hit 10!
We will. Because of God alone.
Thank you.
As always your words are timely and inspiring. I know God uses you, your ministry and this blog to speak to me. I am truly thankful to Him for always remembering me. My husband and I had a couple of rocky years but we are finally on the right path. The key for me has been put God and His word first. I no longer love my husband based on circumstances but through agape love and it is wonderful. Thanks for the encouragement. Almost 12 years behind us and looking forward to many many more.
Terri
Beth, Dec. 17th was our 48th wedding anniversary, and just as you and Keith were messes, my husband and I were the same. It is only God’s miracle that our marriage has become so sweet. We both know beyond a shadow of a doubt that it was God who put us together…both lost a geese…and kept us together…and pursued us, caught us, brought us into His kingdom and has blessed us beyond belief. We were mean and selfish and couldn’t have cared much less how the other felt or what the other needed. Today, my man loves me in ways that are completely turned around from the original ways. He does all the laundry, grocery shopping, vacuuming and other things that I cannot do, since I am in a wheelchair. As I teach Sunday School and Bible Studies, he is my strong support and sometimes my strong critic, so that I am more like Christ. The first 15 years were not so much fun…We were ready to divorce….but God…but God intervened…saved us and set us on a path that has been the delight of our lives…knowing Him. believing Him, loving Him, serving Him, obeying Him. Without Him, there is no telling where we would be, or what we would be doing…Praise His Name !!!! He gave us the wherewithal to just keep on keeping on and turned that keeping on into such sweetness for us both. Thank you for sharing, Beth, it just reminded me how blessed my husband and I are.
What a beautiful post, Beth. I have been married for 13 years and I can already see how each year I love (and like) my husband more. We are both growing internally and spiritually. I can only hope that our hearts feel as you do when our 29th anniversary rolls around.
I can so identify with the barbarian/librarian analogy! It makes an interesting combination but we are still going strong after 32 years. Thanks for your honesty in sharing your triumphs and trials through the years.