Thirty-three years of marriage

Thirty-three years ago today, I married my best friend.  Those years have brought joy and triumph, pain and sorrow, and the kind of growth that is costly. We married in a world where many things were taken for granted: it was taken for granted, for instance, that marriage was between a man and a woman because it reflected the very nature of man and how God had created him male and female. It was taken for granted that marriage would not be rosy, but was intended to last during richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, and until one of us died.  Neither of these things are taken for granted any longer. But they are still true, nevertheless.

My marriage has been full of struggles and joy and growth, and my friendship with the love of my life has grown sweeter and deeper as the years have gone by.  But that is not the most important thing about my marriage.  My marriage reflects something of the mystical union of Christ and His church-- as all marriages are intended to do.  It means the forging of one family out of two very different beings, and the supernatural making of a new unit that propagates life and sustains community. No other social structure has ever been successful in sustaining culture or nurturing the future as marriage has.  I can't for the life of me understand why our society is determined to run headlong towards abandonment (beginning with redefinition) of something that has the capacity to create such beauty.

Thirty three years is a pretty respectable number.  I wouldn't trade one of them.  Dave has been a friend and lover that has reflected Christ to me in the way he loves me, despite knowing me as well as he does, and seeing me more and more clearly over the years.  His love for me has humbled me in his ever-faithful decision to love me despite my not deserving it. And learning to love him, especially when he doesn't deserve it, has been one of the best lessons of my life.

Today I rejoice in the marvels God has accomplished in our hearts, in our family, and in the world through this institution of marriage.  May God preserve and protect it.