People warned us not to do it! There were so many logical reasons not to go down this path but I will be the first to admit, at 18 years old, logic and I weren’t on a first name basis yet.
The coming together of two people in marriage is always an adventure. When you add a past with baggage to the mix, you better get a good grip as you’re in for a ride.
I should have known the adventure I was in for on one of our first dates. We went to move cows together. My horse just missed stepping on a rattlesnake. Mike pulled his rope down and in one whack hit that rattlesnake over the head, killing it! He then cut off the rattles and gave them to me. I still have those rattles.
Adventure isn’t always easy and there are certainly moments of discomfort.
We got married young. I felt like he was my savior as he rescued me from a bad situation. Six months into the marriage I realized it was way tougher than I thought it would be and wasn’t real sure I wanted to be there anymore but felt obligated.
I will never forget exactly where I was when all of a sudden I realized I didn’t HAVE to be here out of obligation. I really, truly loved this man and it was worth the effort and I WANTED to be in this marriage.
My walk with the Lord still wasn’t really in line yet but the Holy Spirit had never left me and was working in me even when I didn’t realize it.
When I told Mike about how I had felt I was shocked to find he was struggling with the similar thoughts. Wow! Thank the Lord He was always watching out for us.
I had come into the relationship with a pretty big chip on my shoulder as I was mad at the world still. He was a little rough around the edges as well.
Proverbs 27:17 tells us “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
During those early years there were quite a few sharp edges being rounded off of each of us. Truthfully, we’re still sharpening each others character.
One of the things I love most about my husband is I feel completely safe with him. Yet he does not treat me like I’m fragile. He encourages me to dream big dreams and doesn’t ask me to hold back anything.
It’s truly only by God’s grace we have celebrated 23 years of marriage together. We did everything wrong and according to every statistic we shouldn’t still be together. I’m not saying this in any way to brag because it is not because of us. Despite all of our brokenness God has been intertwined with us throughout our marriage and we are honored and blessed.
It hasn’t all been sunshine and rainbows, that’s for sure, but I wouldn’t trade this adventure with my husband for anything!
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~Laura~
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