One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.
Luke 17:15
There's so much to thank God for. Too many years ago, I kept a thankful journal. I should get back to it. There were no complete sentences or punctuation. Just a numbered list of little things and big things I purposefully noticed throughout my days that I thanked God for. Things like little fingerprints on the bottom of our glass kitchen table I had to crawl to clean, old withered hands holding mine just before my Great Grandma passed away, and the birds that would always find their way home to sing in the tree beside our house in Port Gibson, NY in Muddy March.
In reflecting now, the greatest blessing in my life is the relationship Jesus allows me to have with Him through His sacrifice on the Cross. Second on the list is the relationship Jesus has allowed my husband and I to have with each other these past 13 years. Although we both are quick to admit we are FAR from perfect, I believe it is a testimony of God's grace that we have never fought. Not. Even. Once. There has never been an awkward night of silent treatment, no raised voices toward one another, no digging up ugly old baggage. Only grace. We have set some high standards in our marriage that we have learned from watching others and from our Bibles. But we cannot take an ounce of credit for this beautiful love story. If only I could show you who we were before Jesus saw our destitute states -like the leper- and decided to reach out His hand in redemption!! So tonight, the night before Thanksgiving, I am pausing to thank God publicly -IN A LOUD VOICE, as the Scripture says- to thank Jesus for what He alone has done.
As a married couple at the ripe ages of barely 20 and 21, we were not old enough to rent a car, so we hitch-hiked around the Caribbean on our honeymoon. We went to a small Bible College, and both worked part time at a hardware store until we added a crib to our one bedroom apartment.
Fast forward: we moved six times, had seven children, lived in a third world country after selling all we ever owned, flew across the ocean on 9 & 15 hour flights with all of our babies -twice, drove clear across the USA (with 7 children), and now here we are.
To be honest, we don't have set prayer times that we sit down together and pray. We don't read our Bibles side-by-side with hot coffee in the quiet of the morning. That's my dream life. We usually wake up to our three year old needing a drink or his sister who wet the bed or the dog barking at his shadow. Our home is far from picture perfect. But it's real. On a good day, I can tip toe to my Bible before tiny voices stir the morning awake. We pray together when we are sad or happy or confused or whenever. We sing to Jesus while washing dirty sippy cups and plastic bowls, or when we drive our big white 12 passenger van down the freeways of Southern California beside the Bentleys and Maseratis that have replaced the Farmington, NY tractors and the Kitgum, Uganda bicycles. We just live and breathe naturally, and somehow it's all become super-natural.
Praying for and with each other is most important, but here are some other practicalities we hold to that have proven to be of utmost importance to us. My hope is that God will use the things He has taught us in our marriage to encourage someone else.
-Humility for both. Recognizing when you're wrong and apologizing quickly- knowing grace is waiting on the other end.
-When one of us is having a tantrum, (because it happens, right?) the other person closes their mouth and prays for the adult-toddler until the tantrum passes and they realize what a fool they are being. Not with an attitude. Just don't feed the flame.
-We are never alone in a car, home, room, restaurant, etc. with a person of the opposite gender. As innocent as it may be- just no.
-Never ever ever have we brought up past sin. It's forgiven. Period.
-If there are no expectations, no one can get disappointed.
-Flexibility. This afternoon I texted Tyler and asked him what he wants to do tonight. At 3:00 he said, "Lets go to the Grand Canyon." We left less than 3 hours later. We should get there around 2am. That's extreme.
-Be extreme! Ha! (Really.)
-Patience. Lots of it.
-WE LAUGH! A lot of that too! I can take things way too seriously. I work all day trying to teach little people nice manners. Tyler sits down at the dinner table and says, "On three, everyone clap and scream as loud as you can. One, two, three, AHHHHHHH!" What?! I even JUST said let's sit nice and quiet with good manners at dinner... bah! We laugh.
-We share the parenting equally. The less-tired one of us tucks in all the little people and prays for them. I have them home with me all day. Tyler takes one child out on a "date" every Thursday. Once a week may seem excessive for kid dates- but that means each child goes every seven weeks! It's very special and blesses me like crazy to see his love for each of them individually.
-We work together and play together. This is more of a family strengthener than just marriage. Saturday is family day. We hold this so dear. We have one day that we do something with all of us together. Usually outside letting kids run free. It's hugely important to us, as the rest of the week can get pretty busy. Sunday we have church in our home, so we work hard together cleaning toothpaste off sinks and mopping dog prints and such. Everyone pitches in.
-We just sincerely love. He buys me flowers. I make him real popcorn on the stove at midnight.
All of that said...
The LORD hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad.
Psalm 126:3
And...
I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
Psalm 9:1
Thank you, Jesus for this earthly gift of marriage that draws me so much closer to You, Lord.
Thanksgiving seems like a good day to restart being purposeful in counting blessings.
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