Wholly Dependent

By the time that you read this, you’ll undoubtedly have been in my car hundreds, if not thousands of times.  One thing you’ll have noticed is that I’ve seemingly frittered away too much time keeping it clean, regularly maintained and “ding-free”. The same holds true for just about anything else that your mom and I have saved for, and spent our hard-earned money on to make our life a little more comfortable.

After we purchased our first home, we made the decision to “never replace anything due to neglect”, including relationships.  I wish I could say that we maintained relationships as well as we maintained our stuff. Unfortunately, before we came to know Christ, the rules for maintaining relationships were based upon selfish, self-serving rules we had set for ourselves.  Those rules ultimately worked to cause your mom and I to neglect each other.  We let the world dictate a “what have you done for me lately” attitude in our hearts.

Over the course of several years, there were enough dings, scrapes and dents to just not care anymore. When the vehicle you are driving through life starts to show wear and tear, our flesh doesn’t look to work or nurture it back to repair, but to replace it with something shiny and new.

Fortunately, God’s will was to first reconcile us to him, and then to each other.  It’s only through his grace, mercy and will for our marriage to bring him glory that we can stand together today. Not as two separate cars racing through life to see who’ll get to the finish line first, but as one body, united to serve the creator of Heaven and earth.

We pray, not just for your hearts to be reconciled to our father in Heaven, but that the hearts of potential spouses being prepared in accordance to his will, be reconciled to him too.

I pray these things, not so that you may never experience the dings, scrapes and bruises that come with marriage and relationships, but so that you may one day turn to him to do the restorative work that brings him glory. I pray too, that you may be blessed with brothers and sisters in Christ who provide godly examples of what it means to live for Christ.

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.