Journey of a Lifetime


I had two photos in my purse. Pulling them out, I slid them across the small table. She smiled. No doubt she could see the similarities in the couple, but also the unmistakable changes. She'd been pondering her upcoming wedding. Her sparking engagement ring didn’t quite match her pensive eyes. She was worried that she was too young to make a choice that was supposed to last a lifetime.

Marriage is a journey—taking you some places you plan to go, some places you’d never expect to visit, and some places you’d wish you’d never heard of. Marriage takes you way beyond the ceremony and the change in relationship status on Facebook. I'm thankful I started young when I was filled with energy, hope, excitement, and love.

Now for the marriage journey itinerary:

About all those places you plan to go—you’ve probably already had long talks with your fiancé about these things—careers, kids and where you’d like to live. For us, none of our plans went the way we imagined. So look at the possibilities in front of you, make some new plans, and move on.

About those places you never expect to visit.... We once thought we’d be famous rock stars traveling the globe. Instead, we lived in eight different cities within the same state. Learn to trust God. He directs your path—even when it takes you places you hadn't planned. Every place you live becomes a new chapter in your life. You learn to love being right where you are because you're doing it together. You can't see what's ahead, but you have one another. Love grows deeper in the rich soil of faith.

Then there are those places you wish you’d never heard of—for us it was a neonatal intensive care unit for our firstborn, or scary words like cerebral palsy for our second one. We’d never choose to visit those places. Hard places need strong, loving hearts. You learn to hold on tighter and it makes you stronger and love goes even deeper into your heart. Those desperate times became our most inspirational ones.

And that brings me to the final place to go together—church. During our honeymoon years we didn’t “need” church. But church is a place to grow up spiritually and the best marriages are the ones growing spiritually. We didn’t go, so we didn’t grow. God blesses marriages because it was His idea, not ours. And God knew we’d get it eventually and He was always there—waiting.


So get married and start your journey. Plan the wedding and let God lead your marriage. Share your faith and your lives. The years move swiftly and you won’t see yourselves getting older; instead you’ll see yourselves getting closer.  And that’s the best feeling there is—to be loved, to be wanted, and to share a lasting journey.

Pointing to the photos, I said, "Someday you’ll have two pictures like these, and you’ll know exactly what I mean."

She smiled as I put the pictures back in my purse.


Popular posts from this blog

Dreaming the Dream

Image
Dreaming big dreams about the future is easy for kids. The only thing standing in the way is time.  Kid’s dreams are not about skills, or opportunities, or even practicality. Those things come much later.  My grandson hopes to be professional soccer player when he grows up. This week, a small piece of his dream came true when his Boys and Girls Club was invited to participate in pre-game activities with the Seattle Sounders Football Club.  He got to suit up in a real jersey and walk on the field with a real pro player. Imagine a young soccer player looking up to who he hopes to be one day. If you haven’t taken the time to talk to a child about their future dreams—you should.  They believe. As we get older we sometimes forget that dreams fuel our hopes—and that's something we all need. So, do you still dream? Or have you left those childhood thoughts behind?  S pending time with children will  inspire you to believe agai
Read more

Sexy Selfies: Posting for attention

Image
We’ve all seen the “selfie” pix on Facebook—those self-taken images in varying forms of dress (or undress). Usually they’re female poses taken in public restrooms, dressing rooms, bedrooms, and lots of what used to be private space. Thanks to selfies and social media, it’s open season on privacy—and modesty. Do you have a social media “friend” who has become a serial selfie? Most often selfies are young girls sharing their sexiness with the world. Serial selfies post hundreds of pictures, so it’s hard to ignore the display. The question is why do they do it. While I don’t approve of the sexy display of serial selfies, insecurity is at the root. Selfies collect “likes” to boost morale. The attention received is like a balm to their broken spirits. But the dark side of exhibitionism is feeling used—not unlike the girl searching for love and giving away her body in hopes of finding love. Selfies seek approval. They're locked in a perpetual cycle of posting pi
Read more

Wild or Tame? Which One Are You?

Image
Finally! Research that explains why I act the way I do. Columbia University’s Motivational Science Center studied people’s activities and what brought them the most happiness. Even more telling were how those activities changed as they aged. Twenty-somethings tend to equate happiness with high-energy activities. Words like excited and ecstatic are usually attached to spontaneous things—even risky things—and living life full throttle.  Researchers labeled this Promotion Motivation —the urge to take chances, including career moves that may not work out. Happiness comes from happenings—the more happenings, the more happiness. By age forty, adults associate happiness with things running smoothly at work and home. It’s also about feeling secure in relationships. Keeping healthy matters more too. This behavior is called Prevention Motivation —and people are more concerned with preserving and maintaining the things they value. It appears that time ofte
Read more