As I walked down the aisle my heart was anxious. We were so young. They said the odds were stacked against us. I was sick to my stomach, nervous–a fretful 20 year-old bride. And then I saw him. He was my rock, my strong, quietly confident man.
And he was weeping, unabashed tears running down his cheeks. Until that moment, I had never seen him weep. His tears were a gift to me.
Just like that my fears flew away. He loved me!
That was all that mattered. I was his pure, precious treasure. He vowed to honor and cherish me. For so long I had never felt good enough. He made me good enough. He still does.
We had a long, hard road ahead of us. So many tears, struggles, losses, battles–life. But we had Jesus and each other. We needed nothing else.
Eleven years later, it's still enough. That young, happy, teenage love has grown deep, long and wide. We've suffered together, wept and laughed together. Our love has made five children.
There were those who thought it would never work. For awhile, I believed them. You're too young to get married. You don't have enough money. Elizabeth doesn't know who she is yet. Matt doesn't have a "good" job. This is foolish.
Now I know that many waters can't quench love. Sometimes what seems foolish is wise. It took me a long time to believe this. It wasn't until our 7th wedding anniversary that I felt the final fears slip away, like grains of sand through my fingers. That's when I fully, completely, utterly trusted this gift from God; this love.
Love is because God is. Sometimes we're so afraid that we don't let God in. We don't believe He would actually give us the best. We don't believe we deserve it. But just as a Father loves to give good gifts to His children, our Heavenly Father loves to give good gifts to us. Seeking Him–even from childhood– has turned out to be the best decision I ever made.
I have opened my heart and let Love, extravagant love wash over me. Happy anniversary to us!
