I am reading The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller with a few of my friends. (I am so glad they are keeping me accountable. It's really a great read, but I would have been too distracted to keep it going on my own.) After reading chapter four today--trying to catch up to finish chapter five by Tuesday, ladies!--I reflected on my relationship with my husband. The chapter is about The Mission of Marriage and how your spouse should be your best friend.
God put us together and we didn't even know how much we would grow together and become so perfect for one another. No, no one is made for someone else. We don't come to a marriage complete and the purpose isn't to complete the other person. Only God can give us what we are lacking. We come to be a companion for each other and to encourage one another to be more like Christ. We are to pray for one another. This is a fallen world that has evil and sickness, so husbands and wives are to hold on to one another through it all.
I am so thankful that I was led to marry the man that would become my best friend. This post is going to be mushy and all about how amazing my husband is, just fair warning. You all love him anyway, so I know you'll read it.
We were matched online through eHarmony and Dr. Warren (we now call him "Unkie Warren") knew what he was doing. Chad couldn't resist my profile picture that I decided to post with my big, burly brother--you can never be too safe--and decided to initiate contact. To this day, I'm not sure if he was trying to reach me or my brother. Anyway, I thought Chad was super cute in his nerdy teacher school picture and I wanted to know more about this guy.
We sent emails back and forth for a couple of weeks. Highlights: one was about how Lynsey and I were going to move into a houseboat in Deltaville and in another I sent him a Halloween picture of me dressed like a daisy. I really know how to get a man! His emails were pretty dry. I thought, "Oh this guy might be a bit of a snooze!" But, I decided to give him a try anyway.
I met him for the first time at a local Sandston spot for lunch, Classics Subs! Okay, so before I got there, I was bracing myself for a camouflage pickup, gun rack, hunter orange hat, the whole thing. I apologize to all of you Sandstonites. I was wrong and I admit that now. But honestly, when I pulled into the parking lot, he was standing by his car waiting and my first thought was, "Oh I hope that's him!" I walked up to him, said "Hey" and there was immediately a connection. As if we had known each other already.
The rest is history really. We continued to hang out and get to know each other more and more. I forgot there was a time before Chad. It was like he had been there for everything I had experienced. God kept whispering in my ear, "Stick with him. I have so much more than what you can see." We have always been strong together. We have faced our challenges and he has been a strong support for me in my hardest times.
I really want to brag on Chad for a minute because I don't do it enough. Maybe you all know everything I am going to say, but it's my blog and this is what I want to write about tonight. We all know the trials he has faced, but what is amazing is the attitude with which he faces everything. He is incredibly optimistic and his spirit is unstoppable. When I want to spiral, he's there to talk the sense back into me. He has energy that everyone can feel. It's like he is a magnet; people just attract to him! He's not always appropriate and sometimes I get nervous when he starts talking, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.
I have been thinking about this a lot lately, obviously because of our current circumstances, but I am so thankful that God has made Chad such a fighter. Through all that he has faced, he has decided to fight and stay positive. I have to be honest with you. There were times when I was afraid that he couldn't take anymore. I wouldn't have blamed him. I know mightier men would have given up. Every breath was a struggle. Every day was exhausting, but, he kept going--God giving him the strength--to fight for me and for our family. I say it time and again, but I have to continue to say it: God has blessed our family beyond our understanding and well beyond what we had envisioned.
On our wedding day, Chad insisted that we write our own vows. I labored over mine! Sweat, tears, doubt, anxiety! He probably did his the night before, knowing him, bowl of popcorn in one hand and coke in the other. His were amazing, beautiful, and even a little funny in that wedding-appropriate way. Mine were cloaked in laryngitis. Everyone thought I was just too choked up to talk any louder. Sorry, if any readers were still under that impression. The pastor could hear them and even she got teared up, so I know they were good! I promised that day that I would take whatever God gave us, whether it was a day, a year, or 50 years. I knew I just wanted to be with him. I would do it all again in a heartbeat.
I knew when we got married that we were not likely to have our own children. I had done the research on Cystic Fibrosis and fertility etc. I was willing to accept that fact because no one who gets married is guaranteed children, and I always had that quiet whisper telling me to go this way. Wow! How God's glory continues to shine!
If you want to read more about our fertility journey, start here. But, spoiler! Lincoln is Chad's biological child. Here's your proof:
Aren't they identical? Thank you God for every minute of every day we have been given. I'm starting 2017 with a heart of gratitude. I even started my gratitude journal tonight! So, what are you thankful for?
Comments
Post a Comment