She said yes.
And has not regretted it a single day since
then!
Reflecting on those last 16 years and looking at these
two young 23 year old kids, I think the biggest lesson we’ve both learned is
that we are not the same people we were then. We are not the same people we
were 5 years ago. And we will, Lord willing, be different 5 years from now.
Because we grow and (hopefully!) we mature. And that’s a good thing. But
we have to grow together in the same ultimate directions and still give each other the space and freedom to change. It's about transformation.
The seasons we go through change and shape us. We can
either grow together, or we WILL grow apart.
I have a beautiful Crepe Myrtle tree in my yard and this
summer it shed its bark. It does this when it reaches maturity. It literally
outgrows its old skin and is ready to live in a new, even more beautiful and
vibrant one. If I tried to keep the tree from changing, it would die. It IS the
change that indicates it has flourished throughout the seasons, and BY changing it is prepared for its next seasons of life. The old bark cracks and falls
off; some easily feathers away, and some comes off in shredded chunks and pieces.
Looking at this picture of my husband and I today, I was
reminded of that process. The seasons we go through change us. Sometimes the
days are easy, and sometimes the winters are harsh. But God provides the
covering we need for every season and He always prepares us for the seasons to
come - as long as we let Him change us. When our edges peel away, it’s a good
thing. Sometimes the change will be easy, and sometimes the change will feel
like it is shredding us...but it’s really preparing us, making us even better!
We can’t stay like we were. We shouldn’t want to. I want my husband to grow and change, mature, become more like the Maker, and I want to
grow and change that way as well. We should both be changing and growing together, for the same purpose. Through every single season, good and bad.