Today Rob and I celebrate 10 years of wedded bliss! An entire decade! Just 4 more decades to go till our Golden Anniversary! As I look back over the years, I am truly amazed at God’s glory. We have been through some TOUGH times in our 10 years together, some really tough times. Yet as I look back at our journey, it is so obvious that God was with us every step of the way.
Sometimes I just sit in awe as I look back at all we’ve gone through.
The year before we got married was actually one of the hardest. 6 months before our wedding my dad passed away. The same day, Hubby’s grandfather had a life-altering stroke. We literally drove from the funeral home after my dad’s funeral to the hospital to see his grandfather. It was a very hard day. That year we also dealt with months of unemployment due to companies shutting down, 9-11, and my aunt died a month before the wedding.
Needless to say, we were ready to say goodbye to 2001, and hello to 2002!
The trials didn’t stop though. We went through much more in the past 10 years.
More death of family. Divorces of both family & friends. Illnesses. Unemployment. Major surgery. Infertility. Building a house. A miracle baby! A child with special needs. Serious financial struggles. Lots of Ramen & beans. More major surgery. Early Menopause (& a very patient hubby!). Foster Parenting. Adoption promises broken. A car totaled. Being separated for 4 months while Hubby worked in another country. More unemployment. New jobs. New dreams. Lost dreams. Hearing a huge, crazy call from the Lord – and answering it. Becoming a military family. Deployment.
I know many couples whose marriage has ended after dealing with just one of the things we’ve experienced, so I’m thankful that we not only survived, but thrived in the midst of all of those trials. But it was not our doing! It was only by the grace of God!
I am human. I am weak. I am sinful. I do not boast of my own strength, but of the amazing strength of Jesus Christ! I shudder to think about where we would be if Rob and I had not been leaning on the Lord for the duration of our marriage.
“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.” (2 Cor 12:9)
Keeping God as the center of our marriage has been our priority since the day we said our vows. He is the one that holds us together. Some days we are in a circle, each holding each others’ hands. Other days, God has me in one hand and Hubby in the other just holding on to us and keeping us from falling until we can reach each other again.
It hasn’t all been easy, but I wouldn’t trade a single moment of it for anything. We’ve learned a lot along the way, we have grown as individuals and as a couple through each and every trial and celebration that we’ve been through. When those hard times come – and they will – you can choose to let them tear you down or you can let them refine you into something stronger. Even pure silver first has to go through the fire in order to remove the impurities, but it’s so worth it!
Just look at how far we’ve come!
I am so blessed to be walking through this journey of life hand in hand with my best friend & the love of my life! Where will we go from here? Only God knows. We can only say, “Here we are, Lord!”.