Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:4-7)

At this time of year, after Thanksgiving Day has “officially” passed, it’s our hope that thanksgiving will continue to be in all of our hearts and attitudes throughout this season and beyond. With all that has gone on in our country, especially since September 11th, we’re all the more aware of how uncertain life can be.

Our hearts cry for those who have lost loved ones. There are so many husbands and wives who would give anything in the world to have just one more moment to express their love to the spouse who never came home to them on that fateful day. It should be all the more a wake-up call for those of us who still have the opportunity to express the love of the Lord to our husband or wife.

On this day, I (Cindy) would like to express my thanks to the Lord for my husband who is truly my best friend. I couldn’t always say that because there was a time in our marriage many years ago when I didn’t even like my husband, let alone love him.

I was extremely disillusioned with him and with our marriage. I came very close to ending our marriage because I didn’t feel I loved him anymore—and I really didn’t. What I’d thought was love for Steve, was really a love for love. I was in love with who I thought Steve was and also who I wanted him to be.

I felt our marriage was over. Eventually, I left Steve to build a life away from our marital vows. Through a dramatic series of events, God showed me that I needed to go back home to Steve and rely upon Christ to show me how to love my husband for who he really was— not my fantasy of who I thought he was. Who better to teach me how to truly love my husband, than God Himself, whose very name is “Love”?

Little by little, day by day, choice-by-choice, God has helped me to develop a love for Steve that goes beyond anything I could ever have imagined possible. God has shown me that He truly can resurrect the dead, because of the miracle of love that He resurrected in my heart for Steve.

Through all of this, I’ve found that love is a choice— it’s a continual choice. Everyday in small and large ways, I make choices to love and honor Steve “as unto the Lord” with my heart, mind, and everyday actions. It’s not always easy— but it’s definitely worth every effort. I now know that as I love my husband, I’m also showing my love to Christ.

I also know our marital love for each other is a living testimony, that witnesses to the world, the miracles that Jesus Christ can do in and through imperfect human beings. And for that I’m truly thankful!

I (Steve) am so thankful that our God is the God of second chances. He has given me so many “second chances” to be able to learn how to love Cindy and be the husband she needs me to be, and the husband God wants me to be. I’ve asked God to give me a desire to continually learn and move forward.

Just today I learned something new. In the most recent edition of “Marriage Partnership” magazine (which we highly recommend) there’s an article entitled “It’s Not About Satisfaction …Why marriage has a purpose even when it isn’t working” by Julianna Slattery. In it she said marriage “is often the ultimate test of our values and character. It’s essentially a ministry. The way we respond in marriage reflects our core beliefs and our very reason for living. When marriage is viewed as a calling, hope resurfaces in the midst of broken dreams.”

When I read that I thought of how God has given Cindy and I a vision for having our marriage be a “ministry” and for how, many years ago, He brought hope back into our relationship and now that’s grown into a passion to help other couples recapture that hope too.

Take a few minutes this week to thank God for the multiple chances He has given you to restore the hope and passion in your marriage too. And make sure that you let your spouse know of your thankfulness. You may want to write out a “Thank You” card to them telling them of several things you appreciate about them. Put it where they can read it as they begin their day. What a wonderful way to start their day!

We pray the Lord will bless you this week as together, we work to make our marriages REFLECT THE LOVE OF CHRIST!

Steve and Cindy Wright

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