Skip to main content

Completing Him Challenge



Today is the beginning of a weekly summer marriage enrichment challenge "Completing Him".   Today's session provides the opportunity to share about the early dating days of each couple.

When I reflect about our dating days, I can see the redemptive and redeeming hand print of God in my life.  There is no doubt that it was His grace that brought my husband and I together.  I was a 14 year old girl that came from a dysfunctional family, seeking to find her own way, but somehow caught up with the wrong crowd and involved in things that would take me down a wrong and painful path of life if continued.  

My husband was a country boy through and through, raised by a wonderful family and trained with integrity, hard work, responsibility.   Only the Lord could have brought us together, we ran in different circles, had different friends and lifestyles.  But one day on the school bus, we seemed to "click".  Then he called my home and came over for a visit.

Since I was only 14 and not allowed to date, many days were spent getting to know one another in my front yard!  He patiently came to my house for two years as we grew in our friendship and love.  My parents came to know him well and loved him.  They sensed the stability and structure that he was bringing into my life.

Finally I turned 16 and we were able to date!  This is the picture from my high school senior prom:


scan0008

We continued to date for a few more years and my former life and ways fell by the wayside under his good influence!  One year before we got married we began attending church with his his family and on the same night felt the convicting call of the Holy Spirit to surrender our lives to Christ and become Christians.  What a blessing and gift it was to begin our marriage with the joined purpose to create a godly home. 

This week we will celebrate 21 years of marriage!  Our family has been blessed with three sons, lots of memories and fun along with some trying times and some heartaches.  But God has been faithful and His grace and peace have given us everything we need to continue moving forward.  

In our marriage, we are at a point where the children are getting more independent and we are able to enjoy a little bit of free time together.  As most mothers and wives know, it is very easy to get caught up in the everyday duties and tasks of keeping a home and raising children and sometimes the husband gets a little neglected!  One of my goals through this summer challenge is to bring a fresh beauty and breath of fresh air to our marriage, to remind him how special he is and how blessed I am to be his wife!

Comments

  1. 21 years of marriage! Congratulations!

    Please join me at my HELLO, HANDSOM! Blog Party June 21 - July 21

    http://www.homemakerhoney.com/2010/05/hello-handsome-blog-party.html

    Deborah
    Homemaker Honey

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a wonderful story! Congrats on 21 years of marriage!

    ReplyDelete
  3. What a great story! Happy Anniversary!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for visiting my sight! and what a blessing it was to read about your beginnings as a couple... God SURELY was there, directing you guys to each other and to Him!! I came from a dysfunctional family, too... so neat that God's grace can give you a new beginning and a chance to have a family after His own heart!

    Blessings to you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wonderful! Your story reminds me a little of Hosea. What a terric guy you have... and you're a true beauty. Incredible that you've known each other most of your lives. WOW!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Its been so much fun reading week 1 posts! Glad to meet you and glad to see another prom picture (thats what I used too)

    And Happy Anniversary!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for sharing your commment. It is a joy and blessing to hear from you and your words are appreciated.

Popular posts from this blog

Sometimes We Score, Sometimes We Block

Our family is in the midst of little league soccer season. My youngest son is playing and his enthusiasm is contagious. He is pretty good at the sport, but what makes it so great is that he loves it! He counts the days until the next game or practice. He loves his coach and teammates. He has moved up an age level this year and the players are working more like team, passing to each other and watching out for each other during play. During the last game, my son scored two goals, they were the only goals of the game. In today's game the team scored eight goals. My son came up afterwards to me and said, "I didn't score today, but I blocked". What a powerful truth those words can hold. In life, sometimes we score, sometimes we block. Sometimes we do great things, we excel, we achieve, we meet our goal - we score! There are also times we see the needs of others, sometimes they are sad or hurting, we block their hits. We look out for them so they can score. We

Relationships and Redemption

In every friendship or relationship, there is a common hope that they will grow and flourish. There is something inside of us that longs for a 'happy every after' story. We dream about it and work to make that happen. But in reality, relationships are a challenge. The bridging of values, lifestyles, interests and sacrificing for another are simply hard things to do! No matter how much we dream of the perfect fit, some relationships will not endure the stress.  When differences appear and tensions arise, prayer can change situations, attitudes and ourselves. For the Christian, we know God can transform, change, heal. We cannot change others, but prayer opens us the door for God to step in and answer. God desires transformation, but does not demand it. The gift of free will allows us to choose to say Yes or No to Him.  Romans 12:18 says, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Take notice of the first two words: “If possible …” This implies that some

A Blank Page - A Great Way to Fill It

A blank page - that is the first view of a new blog post. It has been a while since I have faced the blank page of my little blog! A blank page can bring a variety of emotions - emptiness, anxiety, pressure to perform or emotions such as inspiration, encouragement or simply bursting to share something. But there is always something fresh and exciting about the blank page of a New Year. Happy 2023! This is always a time in my life where inspiration and plans are formed and ready to be implemented for greater change. Aspirations may start strong, but alone do not make a difference. It takes consistency to create change. The changing or adding small habits is a key to great changes. A habit that has been beneficial in my life for many years is rising early. It began when the children were small and was the only pocket of time I had to myself. Through the years, mornings have become my favorite time of the day. Now that my husband and I are empty nesters, we go to bed early and rise early.