- written 4.12.07 -
This is my handsome, awesome, preacher, husband Keith! He makes married life truly spectacular. I love the view from this side of life – the side that walks hand in hand with him. My husband amazes me each day and I love how God brings us closer by drawing us closer to Him. We’ve been waiting for that “terrible” first year or beginning pains, but have not seemed to find them. Sure, we are not perfect, in fact I believe our strongest point is that we are totally opposite! The cheesy early 90’s way of Jerry Maguire “You complete me” comes to mind. So, of course we are not the Cleavers or even Jerry Maguire and Dorothy Boyd. We have our rainy days now and then but the days “on the beach” make it all worth it! More than anything we are learning from each other and learning to grow together.
Someone asked me at a company dinner what was my favorite part of being married? In the midst of my co-workers getting drunk and people I would rather not share the intimate parts of my heart with…she asked me this. I tried to ignore her hoping with this “5th” glass of wine she would believe that I just didn’t hear her…but she persisted. Now yelling, “JENNIFER! What is your favorite part of being married??” As the 10 other people at my table stopped to listen, I finally leaned in to her and said quietly to get her attention “Do you really want to know???” At this point – everyone was joking and had lowered their glasses just for a moment to overhear some juicy bit of information they could hold over my head and talk about the next day in the office. She quickly responded with intent, still loudly, “YES, please tell us.” I leaned in and shared my deepest thoughts with her in the midst of that moment…..“My favorite part of being married is the spiritual bond that my husband and I share. We pray together and love each other more and more as we get closer and closer to God’s heart. It’s an amazing thing to love him with my thoughts and words and actions, but nothing compares to the way we connect spiritually.” At that moment I saw in her eyes what the Lord wanted me to see: emptiness. I had been too sober with judgment to truly see the state of her soul. But God saw it and he allowed me to see in her eyes a glimpse of what unbelievers often refer to as “that missing piece” inside of them.
I know that spiritual emptiness is the missing piece in the puzzle over the staggering 50% divorce rate statistic. Drawing closer to God draws me closer to my husband!
I tested God with this in the beginning of our marriage. When I was conflicted with that dreaded fear of becoming like that nagging wife mentioned in the bible who sends her husband to the roof! All of her constant nagging drives one of them up there and I didn’t want to be her!! So I said, “Ok God! I’m not going to mention this one ‘little’ thing that is REALLY big to me any more to him…I’m leaving this one up to you.” The Lords words are always like static shock to my soul, profound and deep. He said like a best friend would say, “And I long for you to do this ‘little’ thing, that is really big to me, Unto Me. Love me as you would want Keith to love you.” I had to confess that day, God you are right I have not loved you the way I long to be loved. Whether it’s actions, words, touch or time – God wants us to express our love to him they way we long to be loved. “In all things, do it as unto the Lord.”
I could leave the story there, but I will share my ‘deepest thoughts in the midst of this moment’ also. Immediately after I confessed to the Lord, I took every breathing opportunity to Love on Jesus. Opening the door, walking down the street, buying groceries, my heart was filled with a new love for my Best Friend. Only three hours later, my husband, totally contrary to his previous course, did for me exactly what I had been LOVING God for! I teared up and simply said, “Thank you baby!” and in my heart, I said ‘Wow, Thank you Jesus for teaching me this powerful lesson today.”
One thing the Lord has been showing me lately is in His word, Psalm 133:1 How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
2 It is like precious oil poured on the head,?running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes
This passage David describes one of his songs of “ascent” – I just noticed that tonight. I’ve been thinking the Lord would want me to focus on the oil, because I am consumed with a passion for his anointing, but I believe He is revealing to me the deeper truth to that precious oil – it begins with “UNITY.” When we are united together in Christ, the three of us as one strand, we can conquer mountains! David said it right there in the title or theme of this song ‘ASCENTS’……..meaning: going up, growing up, getting stronger, building bigger, becoming greater, more powerful, more full, more anointed, more loving, more dedicated, more diligent, more truthful, going higher, further faster….
Notice that monstrous word there is plural, meaning you have to do it over and over and over again, never stopping, never going back!
TODAY: I will love my husband more than yesterday, uniting together, bound by God’s chords of love that will never be broken. - I love you baby! Thank you for reading my thoughts on here every day and always loving me with words and leaving me comments. I know that we are going higher and are climbing to our mountain top together; I can’t wait to breathe in the view with you!