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Tomorrow Jason and I will celebrate our 29th wedding anniversary! 29 is a big number, especially in the culture in which we live. So, we will find ways to mark this moment and be joyful over how much God has sustained us. It will probably include tacos for Jason and vintage shopping for me. lol
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Experiencing joy today doesn't mean that every moment of our 29 years has been pleasant or fun. But that is the grace of God's joy as we look forward by faith to the eternal, resting in the promises of God. This is the example of Jesus as we see in Hebrews 12:2: "looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Jesus was humanly frightened by the reality of being tortured on a cross. He grieved it and pleaded to the Father for help. Yet, He knew that without His sacrifice, there would be no remission of sins, and no restoration for mankind. Love endured and joy came.
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So often we let temporary seasons define the whole, allowing room for bitter roots to destroy opportunities for grace, mercy, forgiveness, and love to grow and change us.
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I cringe to think of my young married self and how I would store up grievances against Jason until they would all be fired at his heart in rapid succession. What a weight that was for him to bear, thinking I was so displeased. He would also cringe thinking about ways he has hurt my heart through the years. I don't think any married couple could claim to love perfectly all the time, especially as we grow up in our faith and trust in Christ. Everyone is a work in progress.
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Why do Jason and I have joy even after enduring each other's weaknesses and flaws for so many years? Because our love has matured. We have believed the best about each other even when we failed to live up to it. We have seen the love of God, through His Spirit working in us, transform our expectations on being servants of Christ. It pleases our Father to love as He loved, so we keep striving to imitate that in our lives.
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Two people, loving Jesus, seeing one another through His eyes...that is a recipe for a life-giving marriage. That is a joyful picture of God's grace. At 29 years, we are experiencing way more joy than discontent in our marriage, and for that I am so thankful. It puts all those hard days into perspective as we seek to model the love Christ has for us, His bride.
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Whether you relate to having a healthy, joy-filled marriage or not, there are areas in all of our lives that require us to persevere through the hard to find the joy that awaits...after all, this is a picture of the Christian life...eternal joy is coming where no heartache and pain exists! Joy comes today in believing the best about God in our lives and holding to the hope that all His promises are Yes and Amen. That day is coming sooner than we can imagine!
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Whatever we are grieving or celebrating today, may we keep pressing on "for the joy" set before us, friends! Jesus is our joy and our salvation.
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Here is a preview of my book coming out this fall on the topic of grace. It is a compilation of 30 reflections gleaned from a biblical study on the often-overlooked kindnesses of God. How are things like God's wrath, His timing, or spiritual tensions acts of grace in our lives?
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A Favor to Ask
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I am working on a project and would like to insert some of my readers responses to these two questions on grace. If you don't want your name listed, just let me know. :)
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We talk a lot about being saved by grace, but don't always know how to articulate how God's grace sustains our lives. What kindness, favor, blessing, goodness, or spiritual benefit can you testify about today? Hit reply to the email with your reflection of grace.
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In Case You Missed It!!
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Here is the link to this Psalm 119 study.
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A final note of encouragement:
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Romans 15:13: "May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."
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If you need prayer, please send me a message, and I will be more than happy to intercede on your behalf.
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