Marriage Milestones

Today is our anniversary -- 23 years! We had a wonderful time last night. We went to our favorite Mexican place and had a nice dinner. Then we went to the Lyric Opera House to watch Dramatic Truth's premier of Dethroning the Prince. It was an amazing show depicting the spiritual battle behind the scenes of the things we get messed up with in life and how Truth frees us from those things! I highly recommend it if they ever do another local performance. We had a very nice evening together.

I wrote in an earlier blog about the flame of our marriage being nearly imperceptible at one point a couple of years ago. It was a rocky time. The year after we had come through that time, I was reading through a daily devotional book, Experiencing God Day by Day by Henry and Richard Blackaby, and I was absolutely floored by the writing for June 22nd, our anniversary. It goes like this:

And the children of Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the Lord had spoken to Joshua. (Joshua 4:8). Spiritual memory is crucial in the Christian life. It would be tragic if, in your haste to advance in your Christian faith, you neglected to leave spiritual markers at the key crossroads of your life. Without the help of these markers, you will lose your spiritual bearings.

The Israelites experienced a tumultuous pilgrimage. Their doubt that God was powerful enough to give them victory cost them forty years of wandering in the wilderness. Then God miraculously parted the waters of the Jordan River so they could pass over and continue their conquest. God knew that at times the Israelites would face intimidating enemies and would need a reminder that He was powerful enough to protect them. The Israelites might be tempted to think they made a mistake entering Canaan. For this reason God instructed them to build a monument on the banks of the Jordan River. Whenever they returned to this spot, they would see the monument and be reminded of God's awesome power. This marker would give them confidence to meet the new challenges they faced.

A spiritual marker identifies a time of decision when you clearly know that God guided you. Were there specific times when He called you to His ways of living? Can you point to times when He guided you in a decision or spoke powerfully to you about a commitment you could make? Keep track of these important moments! This will help you understand God's activity in your life and give you a sense of direction as you face future decisions."

The first time I read this, it brought tears to my eyes. Every year if I read this particular book on our anniversary, it will serve as a reminder to me of the specific decision and direction God gave me in my marriage -- I must get rid of my pride, and I must learn to love my husband with godly love rather than selfish love. God specifically directed me to stick with my commitment and do a better job of it. I once had a friend say she doesn't know if God cares that much about all the little details of our lives. I beg to differ! Not only does His Word say He is involved in the details of our lives (like knowing the number of hairs on our head and keeping our tears in a bottle), but my personal experience shows me He is involved intimately in my life. I do not think it is any accident that we were given this particular devotion book for Christmas the year God led me in a very important decision about my marriage. I do not think it is any accident that God led the authors of that book to write this devotion to be read on June 22nd. I think God was setting up a spiritual marker for me to be reminded of how blessed I am that He chose to intervene and that my marriage is alive and become richer all the time. I'm sure this devotion has been used in many lives in many different ways, but for me, it is highly personal and relevant to my marriage. I praise God for all He has done, and pray He will continue to move my husband and I individually to look more like Him each day, and in our marriage to glorify and serve Him better together than we could apart. Thank you, Jesus!