What 31 Years of Marriage Has Taught Me

Koffee With Kelli

Good Morning!!

Hope your coffee is hot and your morning is quiet just for a few moments!! This past Wednesday marked our 31^st wedding anniversary!! As I reflected over these years the first thing that came to my mind was gratefulness to God for how he has used David to shape me into who I am today.  Not only has he been a mirror to all my baggage, but he has willingly, lovingly and bravely stepped into places and joined God in helping me confess, reset and focus on how my Heavenly Father is growing me.

I believe that next to my relationship with Jesus, our marriage has been the single biggest factor in who I am today.   Instead of being mad at my husband for helping me see my sin, I have invited him into a very intimate, holy place in my heart to again, give me perspective, motivation and energy to face how God is growing me.

Now I know what you are thinking, ”Maybe you could trust your husband in this place, but no way could I trust mine!” I know this is a scary place for many women today. Not to mention, in many times not even a consideration. But the reality is this: we must refocus our marriages to bear the image of Christ.

31 years later… I love being married!

What does this mean, to bear the image of Christ? It means to help each other die to all that keeps God from doing His great work in us. It means being able to say, “I am sorry, will you please forgive me; and lastly, how can I make it right?  When we begin to reenact the gospel, we do many important things. One, the enemy is thwarted in his efforts to come between us. Two, God is able to continue His important work in us as individuals and even more importantly as a one-flesh team that battles for the Lord in our families and in the world. Three, God is light and hope in our marriages for a broken world to be encouraged by.

Oh dear sisters, are we excited for our daughters and sons to be married?  Are we modeling not perfect, but healthy marriages? Do we talk about what God intends for marriage?  Are we preparing our children to be spouses and parents out of an overflow of their genuine relationships with Christ?

Thank you David… for allowing God to use you to grow me…. I love being married… to you… my lover, my best friend… my knight in shining armor… Happy Anniversary!!