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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: ONEROUS (03/02/17)
“Grrr.”

I stopped picking up the clothes on the bedroom floor and concentrated on the sound coming from the Master bathroom.

“Once again, the toothpaste tube is all scrunched!” he spoke with exaggerated frustration.

Shrugging, I resumed my disrupted activity of picking up his dirty socks and putting them in the clothes hamper.

***

I stood outside the double doors that entered the auditorium of the church building I had grown up in.

It was my wedding day and the love of my life was standing through the door ahead.

Anticipation, hope.... feelings of love, were running through every fiber of my being. I slipped my arm into my daddy’s offered elbow.

The ushers standing on either side of dad and I opened both doors and the music from the organ began to play, “Here Comes the Bride.”

Dad turning his head to his left and looking me in the eyes with a smile said, “Are you ready?”

I nodded yes.

Together we took slow measured steps forward through the now drawn aside doors. The rushing sound of 300 plus people rising from their pews, turning to watch dad and I, made this “long awaited moment” all so very real.

I could feel the smile on my face widen as I caught a glimpse of my groom, waiting for me on the stage. His eyes met mine. (I didn’t realize it at the time but I was later told by my mom, our eyes met each other and never broke contact while I continued the walk down the aisle).

I have few vivid memories of the wedding ceremony itself. All I remember is the emotion of those fleeting moments.

My dad responding to the question of, “Who gives this woman to be this man’s wife?”

I sucked air, as he responded, “Her mother and I.” He then lifted my veil and gave me a kiss on the cheek telling me he loved me.

(i)Sadness overwhelmed me.(/i) I was really transferring from my daddy’s care into a husband’s care.

My groom came toward me and took my hand from my father and drew me close to him as he walked me up the stairs. The song, “Welcome to My World” was being sung in the background.”

(i)Yes, yes. I am really going to be Brad’s wife.(/i)

We stood facing each other and holding hands as this most important moment of our lives began.

My heart beat wildly.

(i)This was it. The moment that was going to join us for life.(/i)

Scripture was read of marriage and love. Words of promise and life-long commitment were spoken between my beloved and I.

As we gazed into each other’s eyes during this part of the ceremony, “hand in hand and heart to heart,” as our minister declared, I saw tears freely flow from my beloved’s eyes.

(i)He loves me so.(/i)

I remembered the kerchief my sister had tucked into my long sleeve before I entered the auditorium. Removing it, I gave it to my husband.

A song of love was sung with friends and family joining in singing about the greatest demonstration of love – a song about Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. The Lord’s supper was broken among all present.

A candle lighting ceremony was included representing the uniting of two lives into one. We were given a prayer of blessing and declared for the first time, husband and wife.

(i)My joy was complete.(/i)

****

Difficulties communicating, different priorities for life in the day to day living, misunderstandings, different ways of “feeling loved.”

A miscarriage of our first child. The addition of six born children. Agreeing to raise them in the Lord and trying to “figure out” what that looked like. The raising of a nephew and sharing the challenge of “pouring” into the lives of 12 teenage girls from “hard places”.

The unexpected death of a younger sister, various moves and employment changes. A mid-life move to minister in another country, culture and language…and the adaptation that required.

Welcoming sons-in-law and a daughter-in-law and 23 grandchildren.

Illness, major surgeries and recoveries, ongoing disabilities and physical pain.

Aging of parents and even death.

Real challenges of life of selfishness, unkindness, harsh or critical words spoken by and to each other, deceit, anger, impatience…sin.

Asking my husband to join in this list of struggles of walking out the challenges in marriage he quoted to me, “Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent.” (Proverbs 17:28 NIV).

***

Forty-two years later, my joy STILL complete.
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This article has been read 504 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Tonya Stevenson
03/10/17
Sounds like a very interesting and fruitful life. All the realities of a broken world blanketed in the joy of loving and being loved. A faithful marriage - God's own comparison of his relationship with us. I rejoice in these testimonies. Maybe growing up in a Christian world it is something most take for granite. I still rejoice in every example. For many years of my life I watched everyone around me, just trying to find anyone who was true to their marriage vows. I almost gave up there was such a thing as love.
Praise God for your example of love on earth. Thank you.
Phillip Cimei
03/12/17
I thought you did a good job of covering the topic. I was thrown back to the time of my marriage. Life has so many twists and turns, joys and disappointments. You pointed out so many. I would have like to have seen you expand on a few in more detail. It was a little cumbersome with so much to digest. Lots of good points to ponder. Thanks.
Larry Whittington
03/12/17
A life-time story told in 700 words.(leaving out the childhood).

I liked where you showed you were speaking to yourself.
Jenny Fulton 
03/12/17
I enjoyed the narrative comparison of the ecstasy of the wedding day vs the tried and true joy of years of trials together. Very inspiring.

*note: for italics the code is <i> </i> with the pointy arrow things (I can't remember what those things are called) and not with parenthesis. When you are submitting your article there is an option to preview it first to make sure all your formatting is showing up the way you want it to.
C D Swanson 
03/13/17
Beautiful!
Blessings~