Song of Solomon 4:9, ESV

“You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride; you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes, with one jewel of your necklace.”

As we get close to Christmas this year, my wife has been watching movies about different Christmas love stories. Often times I find myself sitting on the couch next to her and watching them as well. In general the stories all have about the same story line, two people meet and at first it seems like they are from two totally different worlds, but then as the movie progresses, they fall in love with each other. While the stories may all have a similar arc, the details and circumstances are always unique. Watching these made me think not only about the story that my wife and I have, but also about the stories of other couples as well.

Over the years we have been blessed to have grown close to many couples who are much older than we are and who have been married for much longer than we have. We have heard beautiful stories of how they came to know each other and how they fell in love, got married, had a family, and ultimately, grew old together. We have also been able to be there when some of our dear friends have been called home to heaven, leaving their spouse behind. When a couple has loved each other for fifty or even sixty or more years, it is hard to put into words the thoughts and emotions that come when you witness this happen. One thing that we always hear is how they wish they could have just had a little more time with their spouse.

Each of these couples all have a story just like these Christmas movies that my wife has been watching. They met and they fell in love. They have memories of so many things, and it makes me think about the story of how my wife and I met. We saw the Lord do amazing things and open doors that we didn’t even think were possible. That is our story. And if there is one thing I would want to say to those of you who are with the one you love it would be this, cherish each moment that the Lord blesses you with. Do not become so caught up in the things of this world that you forgot to give you attention to each other. God has created you to be one and there are few things that will bring more joy to His heart than to see you loving each other and making memories together.

To those who may be reading this who are not yet married I would say this, guard your heart and your mind and wait for the person who God has created for you. Don’t focus on going out and finding a husband or a wife, but instead, seek the Lord first and when the time is right, He will bring that one to you.

As for me and my wife, we have now been married for nearly eight years. Compared to many couples who we are friends with, we are practically still newlyweds. But, we are learning from them. We are leaning not to take a single day together for granted. We occasionally have difficult days, and sometimes we may not totally agree on everything, but we will never stop valuing each other and loving each other in the way that God has loved us.