Life Long Love

www.MarysvilleNaz.org

30 years ago today I stood before God and His church with the love of my life and we vowed life long love and fidelity to each other.  Except for putting Christ first in my life this was the best decision I've ever made.  I can honestly say everything of true value and goodness in my life is  in some way connected to her.  Top of the list are my two children Jana and Kevin, the greatest gifts I've ever received.  My closest friendships are couples friends.  This extraordinary women has partnered with me in my life's work, often carrying a heavy load in silence without the public recognition that comes my way.  Yep pretty much everything that is truly valuable is connected to her.

Truth is, I have a great life because I have a great wife and I love her way more today than I did 30 years ago.  (Didn't think that was possible back then, but I didn't know nearly as much as I thought) She is my best friend, partner in all things and the love of my life but most of all she is the one that has loved me and stuck by me no matter what. (That's a bigger deal than you would think!)

The greatest gift Jodi has given me is that, faithful to her vows, she has loved me like Jesus.  That is an extraordinary thing.  There is no one in the world who knows me better than her.  She knows my faults and flaws, my weaknesses and temptations.  She has seen me at my worst and my lowest.  There is nothing hidden from her... and yet she still loves me.  She has lived out for me the Love of God and demonstrated that True Love is knowing someone's faults and loving them anyway.  This kind of love is very strong and a gift from God.   As a former parishioner used to say to me, You are blessed and highly favored of the Lord.  Yes I am.

In 1 Peter 4:8 it says "Above all, Love each other deeply because Love covers a multitude of sins."   Peter got it right.  The very nature of God's love is not so much to be blind to the faults, flaws and sins of our spouse but to love them anyway.  The great gift of marriage is to love one other person like Christ loved us.  We can't love everyone like that, we simply do not have the capacity, but we can love one other person like that.  It is for this reason that God gives us christian marriage not to be loved, but to love.   --  Thanks Jodi for being Jesus to me for more than 30 years.  Love for a lifetime or until death us due part... whichever comes first.  :)