The big, green album. It gets me every time. I was dusting the other day and had to take a minute to sit down to look through our wedding album. I can’t seem to move that album without opening it.
I turn through the pages from that June 26th day and look at those young faces. The beginning of our love story written by God. Not knowing what was ahead, we took each other for better or worse. There have been many seasons in our story. We have seen better and we have seen worse. Seasons I could not have understood as a young bride.
God brought us together from many miles apart. I had no plans to find a husband and begin a marriage. I was planning what my next step after school would be.
God had other plans.
Heydon was stationed in Georgia, I was going to school in Denver. I happened to be home in Nebraska just for a weekend, and he was on leave for a family function also in Nebraska. His brother and my sister thought we should meet. And so we did.
Little did I know how this man would change my life. I know God better because of how Heydon loves me.
“Love each other as I have loved you.” {John 15:12}
After all these years of learning and growing, beauty was formed in the midst of it all. We are not perfect, far from it. There is no perfect couple. There is no perfect marriage. Marriage takes work. A lot of work. But God didn’t just bring us together and then leave us, hoping for the best. That is the beauty of marriage.
He doesn’t just want our marriage to survive, He wants our marriage to thrive.
He called us together to be great, to be a reflection of the Lord to one another. That is big. Really big. And it’s only done through God’s help. We just need to ask for His help!
God gives us grace so we can be better right now.
With grace, we can love in a remarkable way that we can’t on our own. So that we can love after the pattern of Christ. Some days we may not want to do it, we may not feel like it, but He puts grace at our disposal. We can be confident the power of God is at work in us.
“So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” {Matthew 19:6}
Marriage is a total partnership. God must be at the center of it. We cannot thrive without Him at the heart of our marriage. The reality is that we are both sinners.
Hardships are going to happen. We are going to get hurt and it takes tremendous grace to forgive. So we better have something more than ourselves to rely on. We aren’t strong enough on our own.
We need to be able to rely on the Lord.
It is important to remember we can overcome problems. God will give us grace and He can transform anything. We just have to have confidence in Him and let Him in.
I close the big green wedding album to get back to dusting. I know neither of us could have imagined what God had planned for us. The hopes and disappointments, the joys and sorrows, the successes and failures.
Seasons in our life story I could not have understood back then, I now understand better.
It is our task in marriage to put a face on God’s love for one another. What a gift that is. A truly incredible gift. Love lived out.
So I imperfectly, yet faithfully, choose love.
It would be an honor to pray for marriages with you today. Whether it be your friend’s marriage, a family member, or your own. For the hurts and the joys. That God will bless and enrich all marriages and that they will grow deeper and stronger as the years go on.
Written with love from Jennifer, StudioJRU.
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Bev @ Walking Well With God says
Jennifer,
I love the line about how you know God better because of how your husband loves you. THAT is what we can bring to our spouse in marriage – the very image of God’s love…wow, that’s powerful but oh so true. I know a side of God that I would have never known had it not been for my husband. Having already survived a failed marriage, I could always use prayers for the wonderful marriage and man God has blessed me with now. In our relatively short time together we have already weathered some pretty rough storms, but through it all I am continually reminded of God’s and my husband’s faithful love for me. Feeling blessed…
Have a wonderful weekend,
Bev xx
Penny says
Bev,
I pray that God continues to bless you in this marriage and that you have been through the worst of the storms.
Best wishes to you,
Penny
Bev @ Walking Well With God says
Thanks Penny for your caring heart!
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Beautiful, Bev. Praying for you and your husband today.
Southern Gal says
I’ve always loved reading your love story, Jennifer. What a testimony to the Father.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Thank you so much, Renee!
Joanne says
Please pray for my friends marriage
Susan and Twain
Dahlia and Brian
Bridget and her husband
Janelle and her husband
God please help my friends marriage in Jesus Name.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Honored to join in prayer for these marriages, Joanne. Thank you.
Dorothy Collins says
Not being a writer, I was lead to share my story last night with my 3 brothers & sister whom are all married. Reading this has brought the icing on the cake of my story & the events that occured last night. I will share in hopes of encouraging your hearts. I wrote this last night & wanted to share:
Chris and I are celebrating our 11th anniversary. As we’re getting ready to celebrate our night together, the ceiling started leaking. Chris set-up the containers to catch the water & then left to pick up pizza, we ordered for kids & babysitter. I called 2 let company know what happened to our ceiling & they said they would be right out. I started praying. 11 years ago, I wouldn’t. 11 years has taught me a lot. Yes, there’s been hard times. Y’all been there for some more than others. One thing I’ve learned, I have to depend on God. As we’ve finished our 2nd marriage series with our Sunday school class & bringing God in our marriage, we’ve taken leaps toward each other . These leaps have been Chris & I loving each other more. The beauty of our love still being so strong & better today than yesterday, has a story of Grace, God’s grace. Because we’ve become closer, our togetherness has been under attack. When Chris left earlier to pick up pizza, my prayers were sending Satan away, to report to Jesus, in Jesus name. Satan is not allowed here to hurt our time together or our togetherness, in Jesus name. Chris, arrived back & was quick to get to me & share his ride home. He said, he felt an overwhelming, urge to say ‘God’s grace is enough’. He said this to himself & looks over at a house that was burned down. He said, we would still out & fight the battle going against us because God’s Grace, is enough. I share this with you to say, I love you & am praying for your marriage too. I encourage, your hearts need to pray for your spouse, as if your marriage needed it to survive another day. There is good for those who choose God’s way. As We missed our dinner time, because of the ceiling, we had a movie theater empty the entire time we ate nachos & cheese & mountain dew & popcorn. No, it wasn’t the candle light dinner, it was so much more. God gave us our time together, in a moment that is priceless & will go into my heart as a battle we fought together in God’s name to have & to hold from this day on.
Penny says
Dorothy,
Thank-you so much for sharing your “priceless” moment.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Thank you so much for sharing your story, Dorothy! Such an encouragement to us all and shows how God’s grace works so beautifully!
Penny says
Thank-you for sharing your story with us Jennifer, it’s inspiring.
Marriage sure does takes a lot of ‘Team’ work….
In our marriage we have weathered many a storm, without God’s grace it would not of been possible. ,
For those thrown into a storm, I pray that you will too be blessed in your marriage just as I have.
Penny
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Oh yes, ‘team’ work… with a team of us and God! Thank you for praying for other marriages today, Penny!
Donna says
Please pray for my marriage to be restored to all that God wants it to be. Thank you so much!
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Praying for your marriage today, Donna!
Carol Lynn says
Prayer for my marriage is always appreciated! We, too, live and love imperfectly and not as graciously as He desires us to. Pray for grace, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, self-control and unconditional love as God love us.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Happy to pray for your marriage today, Carol Lynn!
Sheryl87 says
Thank you for sharing this, it was just what I needed this morning. My husband and I are in the midst of job changes and a move across country. There is a lot of excitement, but stress as well. Prayers that as we take on this new adventure together we are able to reflect the Lords love to each other.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Oh goodness, that is a lot, Sheryl! Praying for you and your husband today as you venture this exciting journey!
Judy says
Please pray that I would become the wife that God wants me to be. My love has grown very cold thru the years. I know this doesn’t please my Father. And I want our marriage to honor Him. And I really want to love my husband again. Thank you so much.
Veronica says
Praying this morning for you Judy, your husband and your marriage. Ask God. He will restore the closeness and love in your marriage. Blessings to you. Xox
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Thank you for sharing your heart-filled prayer request, Judy. Praying for your marriage today.
Veronica says
Hi Jennifer, loved your post this morning. It’s so true, marriage is a partnership, and God’s grace allows me to love my husband in a way that I could never do on my own. Agape love. To faithfully love and a commitment to appreciate the beauty of God in the other person. Yes, please pray for our marriage, that He continues to draw us closer to one another through His love. Thank you.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Thank you, Veronica. Praying for you and your husband today!
Christine Gaeta says
Thank you for these truthful and encouraging words on love and marriage. I can’t remember who once said that: “Marriage is LOVE’S reward.” I love that because it reminds me the blessing I have in my husband. Marriage is a gift that brings joy, pain, and growth. As we give our husbands a priority in our lives, the Lord honors it, and blesses us with good things, life and peaceful homes.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Oh I love that, Christine! Beautifully said. It truly is a gift.
Kathy says
Thank you for writing this love story and sharing it. My husband is not a believer but he does love me and I’ve been praying for him for the past eighteen years to accept the Lord Jesus into his life. Sometimes I get very anxious about his reluctance to turn his heart to the Lord, but other times I see that I am an exhibit of Christ to him and must live and walk in the spirit in order for him to see God. It also has made me realize that my response to God must be in obedience to His will and if I have areas that are in need of correction, I must repent and help my husband realize how important it is to trust God for everything. You have given me encouragement to keep on walking in God’s love and trusting Him in all areas of my life with my husband.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Thank you for sharing your heart, Kathy. You are a powerful exhibit of Christ to your husband. That is a beautiful thing. Praying for you and your husband today!
Lina Rochette Hill says
I really like this print Jennifer. Might have to get one myself. Marriage truly a walk of Faith. My husband & I will celebrate 23 years in October. It has been a wild ride but God has taught me so much through our time learning to survive & then thrive together.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Thank you so much, Lina! We sure do learn a lot through marriage, don’t we. Such a gift. Congratulations on your upcoming 23rd anniversary!!
Karen says
I would appreciate prayers for my parents’ marriage. Things around the house are pretty bad and I am at a loss on what to do.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
I am so sorry to hear that, Karen. Praying for their marriage today.
LR in WV says
This was beautiful. Thanks for sharing! Please pray for my son and his fiancé – they met on a blind date 2 years ago on 6/28 and are getting married August 8th. We love her and feel that God has a plan for them. We’ve been married 37 years-it hasn’t been all roses but not all weeds either! Gods grace has been upon us and we are thankful!
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
I love that, LR… “hasn’t been all roses but not weeds either!” Congratulations on 37 years of marriage! That is wonderful! Praying for your son and his bride to be today!
TRobb15 says
I’d love to have someone pray for me & my marriage. Jennifer, first let me say how beautiful your story is. As Bev said , I too love the line “I know God better because of how Heydon loves me.” I desperately want to be able to say that one day.
I have a good husband. We are great friends, but the issues we have are long standing and its wearing down my love for him. Mainly because not only do I see him slowly drifting from God, I don’t feel a sacrificial love from him, neither is he willing to face or commit to {seeking} the resolution to our issues. Please pray for us. We need a miracle.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
My heart aches for you, but I have hope and I will be praying for your marriage! Thank you for sharing your heart here.
TRobb15 says
Thank you so much.
SchatzieM says
Please pray for my marriage. We have been under attack for some time now. Also, I have been diagnosed with PTSD and would appreciate you standing in the gap for me!
God bless!
Sherry
TRobb15 says
I’m praying for you..that God heals & restores everything that has been stolen from you.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Yes… honored to pray for your marriage, Sherry!
Susan G. says
This is lovely Jennifer. I know there are so many hurting marriages, but I also know there are lovely marriages such as yours. I would like prayer for a couple who just divorced and he is still in ministry. I am standing for them to get back together…God IS able! I also would like prayer for my son and daughter-in-law who have been married 20 years, but think they need to separate. I am standing in the gap for them as well. I will also ask prayer for my marriage of 40 plus years. Some years just seem to have more ‘downs’ than ‘ups’. My husband says he is a Christian but that’s about all there is. I have been co-leading a women’s small group for over 10 years and the Lord has blessed me mightily through it.
I’m praying for all the marriages mentioned by each woman here today as well.
God is able to do more than we can even think or imagine. He has never failed me in over 49 years that I’ve known and trusted in Him!
God bless you all!
TRobb15 says
Thank you for praying. I’m also praying for your marriage, all the marriages you mentioned & all represented here today. I believe God hears, He cares, and He’s working even now. I’m encouraged as I encourage you!
Eph. 6:8
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
You said it right, Susan… God is able! Honored to stand beside you praying for these marriages!
CJ says
Pls pray for my marriage. My husband is unable / unwilling to provide love, kindness or partnership in our relationship. I didn’t know that the “in sickness” would mean mental illness and not having the basic things I thought a spouse and marriage would bring. It’s so hard, but God somehow brings hope for each day and trust that it is changing me to be more like him.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
So sorry you have to go through that, CJ. I do love hearing you say feel the hope that only He provides you. Praying for your marriage.
Brenda says
Jennifer, thank you for sharing your story. I do bieve God is able to transform any marriage and restore what’s been broken. I’m believing that for my marriage. My husband left me a year ago and is in rebellion. He’s engaged in an adulterous relationship. I’m contending for my marriage, extending grace and love to my husband. Please pray for my husband that he would come to his senses and turn from sin and repent, and that my marriage would be restored and used for God’s glory. Please pray for my spirit to be encouraged and strengthened. I’m tired as its been a hard long year.
Keziah says
Hi Brenda. So sorry to hear what you are going through. I am praying for you and your marriage. One day, this might be part of your testimony. God bless
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Oh Brenda, I am so sorry you are going through this struggle. My heart goes out to you. Standing beside you praying for your marriage. What a beautiful thing to pray this struggle will be used for God’s glory. That is beautiful faith!
Mary-Ann says
Please Pray for my Husband and I! we have been married for 28 years after me being married twice before. We went thru a tremendous amount of pain and turmoil about 15 years ago that God miraculously brought us thru! Everyone said it was truly a miracle that our marriage survived! But now it seems we are only a few steps away from falling apart AGAIN! And I feel so helpless and terrified!! You don’t know me or my story bet if there is anyone reading this please! please pray for us. We don’t have a church community anymore and live in a remote area full of addiction which we are in the middle of but I know God answers prayer!!!
Brenda says
Mary-Ann, I just read your post and know that I am praying for you and your marriage. If God is for you who can be against you.
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Mary-Ann, we are standing beside you in prayer for your marriage!
Beth Williams says
Jennifer,
I love how God brings people together–even from miles apart! I met my hubby via internet and we’ve been married 11 years now. Sure we’ve had our ups and downs-good times and bad. But through it all we’ve been there for each other!
I got to witness loved lived out years ago. in 2007 my mom came home after 1.5 months of hospital and rehab. She already had dementia that turned into sundowner’s. My dad spent the next two years caring for her 24/7/365. He would get up at night to assist her with bathroom duties, wipe her, etc. whatever she needed. He cooked meals, sat with her, did it all. I applaud him for that. She died in 2009. It was hard on him. They stuck together through thick and thin for better/worse and I want to do the same with my hubby!
Blessings 🙂
Jennifer {StudioJRU} says
Oh Beth, what a wonderful example of marriage and love through better and worse. A gift to witness loved lived out. Thank you for sharing that with us!