There's Only One Perfect Person In This Marriage

And it isn't me! And, while he's a wonderful husband, it isn't my husband either.

"Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken." Ecc. 4:12

Our Third Strand -- Jesus. He is the only Perfection in our marriage. "He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He." Deut. 32:4 He is the rock of our lives and our marriage. His works are perfect, though we may not always understand them at the time. His ways are just. He does no wrong. I do wrong. My husband does wrong. Yet, as we abide in the Lord daily, drinking from His Word and yielding to His Spirit, the Perfect One rights our wrongs. He cleanses us and makes us holy.

Remember the question: What if marriage was intended to make us holy rather than happy? And what a blessing it is when your marriages bring happiness AND holiness! I believe when two saved sinners say "I Do" and yield their hearts completely to the Lord, holiness and happiness are a beautiful marriage duet.

This Sunday, May 23rd, Jim and I celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary! My life's testimony is that of God's mercy and grace. The husband God has given me, our marriage and our family are all wonderful gifts of His mercy and grace. I am very aware of that. I truly am thankful and worship Him in reverence and awe for His amazing goodness. "...let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe..." Hebrews 12:28

Our hearts and our marriage are anchored in Him. Jim and I love each other deeply and are both very genuinely content in our marriage. Yet we still struggle. We still have cold shoulder moments. We disagree. We can be selfish, defensive and prideful. We had a few rough days this week. But we are abiding in the Lord, we are committed to Him and to each other. So repentance and forgiveness come. We move forward in Him.

Hearts yielded to God and desiring to honor and obey Him above all else will always bring forth fruit of righteousness and life. Jim knows I seek the Lord daily and desire to obey Him. I know Jim loves God and His truth and is unwavering in his devotion and faith. Our hearts anchored and abiding in Him have beautifully led us to now celebrate 18 years of marriage. That may seem like a lot to some, and like piddly to others. We rejoice, and we give God the glory.

We have learned so much over these 18 years. One thing we both know for sure: there is only One Perfect Person in this marriage. And our hearts are surrendered to Him.

So, we say thank you to the Perfect One in our marriage. "As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him." Psalm 18:30

To celebrate our anniversary, we'd like to say CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER OF THE BOOK "WHEN SINNERS SAY 'I DO'"! THE WINNER IS: CHRISTCHILD - OUR BLESSED FAMILY. Please contact me so I can mail the book to you!

I pray you all have a blessed weekend. Take some time to enjoy a date with your spouse! We will be doing just that as well!

(This is one of my "life verses" that I also apply to our marriage:)

"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in Him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:7-8