My Tribute to My Husband on Our 38th Anniversary

38 years ago this morning I was preparing for my wedding in St. Louis, Missouri. Can a young woman of 18 even imagine a life living with one man a year...much more 38?

My marriage has been a glorious package of time-- not to focus on any one segment since individually those “times” are not always the norm of a marriage. Actually, our marriage has been a series of hundreds of happenings testing our love, patience, endurance that most might say are outside the realm of normal America. I can’t even identify or begin to understand “boring”!

As an engaged couple we typically discussed our future—size of our family, more education, where we would live, how we would raise our children... I’m the oldest of four children, but that first born instinct of mothering someone else’s children had not been given to me so my thoughts all those years ago were that two or three children would certainly be plenty. My fiancé had never met a child he didn’t like and was aspiring to be a father of a houseful. Our compromise was four in that year before marriage in 1970, but by March of 1990 we had our eighth child and I had been won over! Our eight children have been the greatest blessings of our marriage, giving us a real understanding of “children are an heritage of the Lord”.

I really don’t think we realized the importance of our wedding vows when we pledged our love on that hot, muggy Missouri afternoon in 1971. After all, we were 18 and we had certainly never heard a discussion of the Biblical responsibility and significance of making a vow! Within months the Lord showed me he was doing a work in my husband’s heart that certainly and ultimately would include me. I always thought I would be in ministry so why was I surprised when God called my new husband into a “full time” preaching ministry. It’s been a series of surrendering for both of us ever since.

The five years we spent in college after marriage preparing for ministry, in hindsight, are very revealing to me of my husband’s total surrender to the Lord and his perseverance to keep his life long commitment to the Lord and to me. Those college days were so foundational for our family and ministry as we had to totally rely on the Lord for every provision and to learn that the Lord would provide. Now, in 2009 the Lord is still calling us to trust Him for today and our future. Even when it’s so very hard I am thankful I have a husband who continues to trust God. I am so thankful for my husband this “anniversary day” and for the Lord who leads us along. Happy Anniversary, Jim!