It has been twenty-two years since Valerie and I said, “I do.” I’m glad I did.
Since then we have had our share of good days and bad days, great days and hellacious ones. Yet, through it all, we’ve stayed together in a holy union, a relationship bound together by the Holy Spirit. Even through the worst of times our love for each other has grown, making every day a “good” day.
When God said, “It is not good that man should be alone,” I think He was thinking of me more than Adam. He knew that I would have been a pitiful mess apart from the “good thing” He allowed me to find (Prov. 18:22).
We are not as young as we used to be, which should be obvious. We don’t move as quickly, and when we do move it’s often with pain. Yet, our hearts are still young. That is why people who are truly in love can always find Proverbs 5:18 applicable: “Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.”
This morning, before we got out of bed, Valerie asked me, “Would you do it again, especially knowing what you know now?” I immediately replied with a “Yes!” Oh, I could hear the regrets in her question, and I knew exactly what she was talking about. But when I started to address the question the bigger picture of God’s providence and grace came into view.
I said, “Yes, I would do it again, but I would do some things differently after the fact.” Yet, when she asked what I would do differently, hardly anything would come to mind.
“Well, first of all, I would…wait…” You see, even when I look back on the things we did wrong I see the mighty, sovereign hand of God at work. Where would I be had I not made those mistakes? Where would I be had I not been young and foolish? If we had done everything perfectly, where would we be today? Oh, I’m not advocating screwing up, but it has been through our brokenness, our failures, and our mistakes that God has been able to work in the lives of others.
Had we done everything perfectly, the only people we would be able to minister to would be perfect people; we wouldn’t have been able to understand anyone else. Our heavenly Father knew this; that’s why He let us fall…into His arms of grace.
So, yes, even 22 years in, I’d do it all over again. The only things I do wish I could have done differently is pray more often for wisdom, spend more time in God’s Word, and save when the times were good.
Happy anniversary, Valerie. You’re the best “good thing” ever!
The Recovering Legalist 
A very Happy Anniversary to you both!
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Thank you, David! Oh, and by the way, those were some pretty cool gifts you got.
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Yes. The Fitbit Blaze was a complete surprise! They gave it to me in Yorkshire the other week when we were celebrating Marilyn’s birthday. Now I can see how my heart beats! Hope you both have a great day – I guess you will be celebrating over dinner somewhere?
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Ha! No, not really. I will be at a memorial service tonight for the friend that died in the car crash. Valerie will be at home preparing lasagna for our guests coming tomorrow for Father’s Day. I’m saving up for our 25th, though 🙂
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Ah. We went back to Guernsey for our 25th – stayed in the same hotel where we had our honeymoon, which is next door to the house where I grew up! So you will be celebrating your 25th the same year that we celebrate our 40th.
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Happy Anniversary Anthony! Many good years are to come. Blessings!
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Thank you. And that is my prayer.
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WOW! And this phrase: ” You see, even when I look back on the things we did wrong I see the mighty, sovereign hand of God at work. Where would I be had I not made those mistakes? Where would I be had I not been young and foolish? If we had done everything perfectly, where would we be today? Oh, I’m not advocating screwing up, but it has been through our brokenness, our failures, and our mistakes that God has been able to work in the lives of others.” This right here is such an piece of encouraging wisdom, that through our mistakes, and the even the consequences therein, He is STILL working His sovereign plan. That’s just such a part of this grace we call amazing. HAPPIEST of anniversaries to you two!!
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You caught me on a day when I was waxing profound. All the other days I just wax on and wax off.
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And then, like my husband, there’s smart, and smart alek…..:)
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Congratulations!
I think the things I would do differently would be: trust God more, love my husband more and focus on what’s important.
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