On Our Anniversary: Here’s to Continuing Our Story

There’s good reason fairy tale romances involve conflict.

The characters, even fictional, demonstrate their abilities to recognize and push through adversity. The story, even with its whimsical elements, connects with us.
We all fight villains in our relationships. Sometimes, the dark forces arise within ourselves. Circumstances of the past left unreconciled find themselves fighting for awareness as time proceeds. Other times, the antagonists appear unexpectedly. Their looming size and power seem undefeatable.

What fairy tales often dismiss is the difficulty involved in fighting the villains as two people, with different personalities, backgrounds, and emotional thresholds. The goal of marriage as the final resolution is deceiving.

Sometimes, the villains appear after the “I dos”

In reality, marriage is a radical concept. Two people commit to a lifetime of unity; putting aside the inherent natural selfish ambition for the sake of wanting the other’s best interest.  The vows are made without any knowledge of what’s in store further down the road.

You could argue it makes no sense. But God knows that. William Goldman writes in the Princess Bride (my husband’s favorite movie), “Love is many things, none of them logical.”

What does it mean to be an imitator of God to the other person in all circumstances? How does love ground us when the earth beneath our feet is shaking? As my husband and I celebrate our 27th wedding anniversary today, the realities of marriage press upon us. While we have enjoyed some whimsical moments plucked right out of  classic romantic movies, much of our marriage has resembled that of Carl and Ellie in the movie “Up.”

So we cling, individually and together, to God’s love which first loved us. It flows through us and onto each other.
“My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love!” 1 John 4:11-12
Here’s to continuing the story…

This post is written for the Five Minute Friday Writing Community. Come join us! http://fiveminutefriday.com/