A Lasting Marriage is Supernatural

“Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the Church”
Ephesians 5:25

This past week was Valentines Day.  It is a day that makes a romantic out of each of us that are not wired that way naturally.  Personally, I think the florists and chocolatiers invented this day.  I did my usual – going to pick up some flowers and a card.  I know I can do better and from time to time I can surprise myself and Debsue.  Debsue made a very nice dinner.  I know I am married to someone special – I don’t need a day to remind me of that fact.  Now that we are empty nesters, it is really fun actually getting to spend frequent time with her.  We recently instituted Friday night pizza and movie night and we are making our way through the Lord of the Rings trilogy (extended edition). 

It has not always been this way.  Our marriage was really rocky the first few years and I was questioning in my mind whether we could make it.  Both of us were trying to make each other the ideal mate to meet our expectations.  After we came to an end of this hopeless cause, we asked the Lord to change ourselves.  The transformation did no occur overnight, it occurred gradually fermenting the seeds of a solid marriage.  But make no mistake, it did happen.  The commitment to bring our marriage before the Lord preceded the feelings.  I am amazed any marriage can survive based on a worldly approach.  My guess is that if Debsue and I filled out a matchmaker type survey, we would have found there was no way we were compatible.  We had different interests – like she was smart, well rounded and I was not.  But a supernatural transformation made our marriage come together.  And so here we are coming up on 26 years. 

It has not been and will continue to not be easy.  Satan would love nothing better than to disrupt our marriage.  My prayer has always been to protect my marriage from fleshly impulses – that the weapons we avail have the power to demolish strongholds (2 Cor. 10:4).  It has also been to mold me into a Godly husband with a commitment to a godly marriage.  I have seen my wife in like manner transformed and the resultant joy that comes from that.  I know God can supernaturally transform any marriage because I have seen it firsthand.