Renewed

My wife and I went to a wedding yesterday. It’s the first wedding we’ve been to since we exchanged vows 4 years ago. It was a truly renewing experience watching the bride and groom beam at each other and listening to them talk about how they will love, honor, and cherish each other until death separates them. It really brought back the memories of when I got married.

We talk about “marriage maintenance” at church all the time. We have ministries specifically geared to help help couples keep their marriages focused and alive. My wife and I serve in these ministries, and they’re important and very helpful, but I have to say that nothing was more impactful than sitting in church watching this couple get married.

I left with a greater sense of renewal and commitment than I’ve felt after any of the seminars or marriage retreats I’ve ever been to. There is no substitute for the real thing.

Marriage is a journey of three people: you, your spouse, and God. It can be difficult at times, but I think that if everyone went to a wedding at least once a year there would be less divorce and more focus on the joy of being married.

So the next time you get a wedding invitation, don’t mail in a wedding card with a check, go and be blessed by the union that you will witness, and let that joyous occasion live in your marriage every day.

“God, thank you for my wife and for your gift of marriage. Don’t ever let me forget what a wondrous thing it is to be in this holy union. Amen.”