Today is our anniversary. 45 years ago today, we said, “I do.” We walked down the aisle of a small church and gave our vow to “love, honor, and cherish each other, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, keeping only to each other, til death do us part.” To that we said before God and many witnesses, “I do.” And we still do today… lovingly, and happily. We still say, I do!
We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of “in sickness and in health” experiences, and many “for better or worse” happenings in our life together. And to be truthful, there was a time when I just didn’t think we would make it. It came close.
But God!
But God… and I say that with all sincerity… but God came into our lives and prodded us in a different direction. You can read about it in The Love Story of Steve and Cindy Wright in the “About Us” section of this web site.
It’s amazing how things can turn around in a whole different direction —a MUCH better one, when we yield our hearts and our lives to God and say, “I do… I will.” From that point in our lives, God has been teaching us to “walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God” (Ephesians 5:1-2). It’s a continual journey, but one that is SO worth taking!
I am blessed, and I know it.
A New Walk in Love
Eventually Steve joined me in this “walk in love” that God prompted me to take, in our marriage. Many spouses never do join together to learn to love, honor, forgive, stretch, grow, and give grace, as God gives us and can help us to give. As a result they find the “walk” to be all the more difficult. I know that, and for that we grieve for them. How we pray God will continue to use us to help couples, who lean into Him, grow back together. It’s one of the reasons we participate with God in Marriage Missions International.
Even so, I need to tell you that it hasn’t always been an easy walk for us, by any means. It’s like what I read somewhere:
“Marriage is difficult! Somewhere between ‘We are gathered here today’ and ’til death do us part’ there is a lot of real life going on —ups and downs, highlights and failures, dreams attained and dreams lost. Real-life marriage is hard, a balancing act of jobs, children, friends, in-laws, paying bills, cooking meals and maintaining a home.”
It’s Difficult But It Also Can Be Wonderful
And there IS a lot of real life and hard stuff that has gone on in our lives. But we believe, with all our hearts, something else that Bill and Lynne Hybels wrote in their book, Fit to Be Tied
“Marriage can be wonderful. It can be deeply satisfying and mutually fulfilling. But if it becomes that, it is because both partners have paid a very high price over many years to make it that way. They will have died to selfishness a thousand times, and will have had countless difficult conversations. They will have endured sleepless nights and strained days. Both will have prayed hundreds of prayers for wisdom and patience and courage and understanding. They will have said, “I’m sorry” too many times to remember. And they will have been stretched to the breaking point often enough to have learned that, unless Christ is at the center of both their lives, the odds for achieving marital satisfaction are very, very low.”
We couldn’t agree more. So, today, as we’re celebrating our 42 years together, we say, YAY GOD… THANK YOU GOD!!! What a great day to enjoy together… and we will.
“Profound Quote”
So, I’m going to rush off and leave you with a profound quote from Winnie the Pooh ☺ —something that is true for both of us:
“If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.”
Happy Anniversary, Steve; I love you with all my heart. I thank God for you everyday. You are the love of my life! I cherish being your wife. ♥
Surprise!
Cindy thought she was done with our “anniversary” blog, but I wanted to offer my perspective and thoughts.
It’s funny, in a way, what you remember about an event 42 years later. Not just “any” event – but your wedding. The things that are still very clear in my (Steve’s) memory are things like:
How cold it was that March day in Michigan! And how great it was to see both of our families come together! But when I look through the photos, I also see how skinny I was at the time (110 lbs). I realize now, that I was pretty nervous for what was about to happen (rightly so). I see how incredibly beautiful this woman with the long red hair was as she walked down the aisle to become my wife. And then I see how, when I repeated my wedding vows, instead of looking at Cindy, I repeated them to the minister (I told you I was nervous). But in spite of this we walked out of the church thinking we would “live happily ever after.”
We Live and Learn
Boy! Did we have a lot to live through and learn through …A LOT! Thankfully, we have and we continue to learn, as we look to God to lead us. May we continue to reveal and reflect the love in Christ in our marriage, and lead others to do so, as well.
For this reason, today, as Cindy and I celebrate our 42nd wedding anniversary we’ll actually be giving God thanks for the strength and help He has given us to learn and apply the principles from His Word so that our love is deeper and more satisfying than living “happily ever after.”
I haven’t read what she said, so hopefully this will compliment my “beautiful red head’s” thoughts. XXXXXXXOOOOOOO
Cindy and Steve Wright of Marriage Missions International wrote this blog.
Filed under: Marriage Blog