Today is my 15th wedding anniversary. Vicki and I have been truly blessed and today we celebrate and remember those blessings together.
I admit, we aren’t all that good at celebrating in a traditional sense. We’re both quiet introverts who prefer snuggling on the couch together with a good book over any sort of public gathering so this year’s “celebration” will be suitably low key. We’re going out to eat together to the restaurant where we held our rehearsal dinner all those years ago.
I am sure that there will be conversation about that rehearsal dinner and the hours that led up to the wedding just as I am sure that there will be some quiet reminiscing about all that God has done for us since then.
Anniversary’s, in my mind, should be about three things. Celebration, reflection and inspection. We should celebrate how far we have come together. We should celebrate our love for one another and Christ who is the center of our marriage. And we should celebrate the blessed union that God has given us.
We should reflect on the trials and tribulations that we have overcome as well as the many moments of joy and laughter that we have shared together. It is good to remember and to draw strength and inspiration from our remembrances and I believe that this practice of remembrance and reflection is necessary for all of God’s children. Not only can it be an excellent cure for a bad day but it also helps you to build trust in your relationship with your Heavenly Father. And that’s important!
We should also inspect ourselves and what we are bringing to each other and to God. This can and will be uncomfortable. As imperfect as I know that I am I do not need to shy away from areas that I am lacking in. I need to have the courage to ask God and my wife to help me grow and to become a better person. It is my duty and my privilege to love my wife as Christ loved the church and although I fall short I never want to stop trying to love her better.
Inspection should always be tempered by love and grace. It is easy to criticize ourselves and others and we have an Accuser who is only too happy to help us in this. Always be ready to forgive, both yourself and others, because none of us are perfect. If we let love guide our every step then we can never truly go wrong. This is the way that proper inspection should be carried out so that it is truly about improvement and not tearing down or hurt feelings.
A 15th anniversary is a good thing. It is a good thing because God is good and He has granted this time to us. I am thankful to Him and I am thankful to my wife for the way that she loves me. I know that I am a blessed man and I hope and pray that the Lord will grant us many more years.