It was a perfect day.  I was all dressed up and hanging out with some of my closest guy friends.  Leah was hanging out with some of her closest friends putting on a dress I had never seen.  When the time came music from a four string quartet played softly over the crowd.  Candles helped light the elegant church sanctuary.  There was a quiet joy and expectation in the room.  Following two of my nieces scattering rose pedals down the isle and the ring bearer, bearing a belled cross that rung in the picture of perfection.  The doors opened and my heart became mush, my eyes filled with tears.  The most gorgeous woman ever came down the isle glowing with beauty and flawless grace.  As promised by others the next 30 minutes blurred some as we exchanged rings, vows, and shared a time of candlelight with our guests.  It was a day when three became one:  God, Leah, and me.  The Holy Spirit graced us all with the presence of joy, peace, and hope.  We said, "I Do!"  We walked out of the sanctuary that day as man and wife.  It was pure bliss!

Fast-foward 8 years.  Through all of the things in life that seem to take our joy and perfection away, Leah and I are celebrating that day when the Holy Spirit joined our hearts and our souls together forever.  While the things in our life can sometimes be broken and burdensome.  The covenant of marriage is perfect.  Our partnership is perfect.  Not because we are perfect, but because God is perfect and every day He redeems our lives and He redeems our covenant.

I love my wife with all of my being and every day I see God in her eyes, Jesus in her heart, and the Holy Spirit in her steps.  I am a blessed man.  And the best part is that there are more years (the rest of our lives) to go.

This week and next I'm attending a class at ACU that will certify me to do pre-marital counseling using the tool "Prepare and Enrich."  I'm excited to learn this tool and counseling techniques to help those that are thinking of marriage (prepare) and those that have been married (enrich).  As I have completed the first week I'm really conscious of my own marriage and see that although Leah and I have a wonderfully healthy marriage we can always use reminders.


Sometimes our journey with God is the same.  Sometimes as we travel this Christian life we are totally trying to prepare ourselves for the journey that lies ahead.  What possible obstacles could occur?  How will we react when things are great?  How will we react when things are challenging?  Sometimes as we continue on in the journey we are in need of reminders or enriching our present walk with Christ.  How has my routine jaded my vision?  How can I move past complacency to more of Jesus?  How can I thrive rather than survive?


The journey with Jesus is much like a marriage.  Things are great at times and troubling at times.  Sometimes you want to leave.  Sometimes the love seems vacant.  And yet, the covenant to our spouse and the covenant to our Lord keeps us on the path and moving along.  Neither are always roses, but in the end we will have sustained an unmatchable relationship!