On Marriage

Jordan and I aren't much for Valentine's Day...not much in the chocolates-cards-flowers kind of way. I had an extra vacation day that I needed to use up, he doesn't have class on Fridays, and we spent Valentine's morning just laying in bed and talking about everything and nothing for an hour. It wasn't planned, it was just a rare occasion that we both happened to wake at the same time, and one of us didn't have to rush off to work/school. My heart was warmed for the rest of the day from that one hour of words passing between our pillows.

Later that morning, I read something from Relevant magazine - I used to read this magazine cover-to-cover when I was a teenager, and every time I read something in it now, I wish I still got it in the mail. It has some solid things in it, people - the article was titled, "The Promise You Can't Keep in Marriage" and I was surprised when I read the exact reason I married Jordan:

"...do get married when you see who God is making somebody to be, and it lights you up. When you want to be a part of that story of transformation, that journey to the future. When you are well aware it will be a long and bumpy ride, but you don’t want to miss one mile. Because you believe in God’s calling on them, and you want in."

I'd never really been able to put my finger on it, although I remember telling someone something similar to that while he and I were broke up during my senior year of college. That I didn't want to miss out on the rest of his story. That God had already done such a great work in him, and I wanted to be there for the rest of it.

Like that quote says, there have been times where the ride has just been long and bumpy, and you wonder when you're ever going to get back to smooth interstates...and then there are quiet mornings, with no responsibilities, when you can just lay together in bed and talk as the sun filters through the window and across the bed. Those are the moments when you're reminded why the bumpy stretches are worth it. And, hopefully, like us, as the years go on in marriage (and I know ours is just a short [almost] 4 years) that those moments will continue to grow and outnumber the bumpy stretches.

I'm sure it's not all smooth sailing ahead, and I'm sure no marriage ever reaches the point where it's all easy peasy, but I know that no matter what God sends our way, we're ready. We're rooted in Him, and look forward to growing closer to Him and closer to each other through each long and bumpy stretch of the ride. Happy trails.