Anniversaries

I love anniversaries because they naturally lend themselves to reflection and celebration.  Shawn and I loosely celebrate a handful of anniversaries, like the anniversary of our first date, the anniversary of his marriage proposal to me and our wedding anniversary.  The memories I hold of all three events are vivid and sweet, perfect windows through which to see the new life that sprang forth from them.   Tomorrow, we are pausing to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary and as I look back at that crisp fall morning that we exchanged our vows on, I see a life marked by love. 

Love might seem like the obvious choice of attributes to highlight on a wedding anniversary but it's certainly not the kind of love I was expecting.  The love that I see woven through the fabric of the last four years is not the kind of love that has us snuggling on the couch or flirting across the dinner table.  It's the kind of love that neither of us are capable of extending on our own. 

I have quietly watched Shawn pursue God and study His Word over the past four years and I can tell you with certainty that it is because of his faith that he loves me so well.  With God as his source of love, Shawn loves me in both word and deed.  In other words, I know he loves me, not just because he tells me he loves me before he hangs up the phone or before he falls asleep at night, I know he loves me because he acts like it. 

One small example of this can be found in James 1:19:

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." 

When I read that verse, I always think of Shawn.  In my head it reads like this, "Shawn is quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry." It is humbling and life-giving to interact with someone who consistently demonstrates that kind of love towards me.   I don't usually deserve it, but Shawn responds to me in love anyway.  The sacrificial nature of Shawn's love for me ripples through every part of our marriage, and always points me back to the unconditional love of God.

I married a man who takes God at His Word and who strives to love me the way God loves him.  Tomorrow night, we probably will flirt across the dinner table and snuggle on the couch but I know that it's the love of God that will continue to transform and sustain us in the years to come. 

Happy Anniversary, Shawn! You are a man of deep faith and great character.  I respect the way you work and I am continually blessed by the way you interact with our children.  The past four years haven't always looked the way I thought they would, but you have never once strayed from Gods Word and in doing so, you've taught me what it looks like to walk together in faith.  I love you. 

 "Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8