| Good morning everyone, Our theme for this month: “Savor the time” Our Bible verse for today: “Above all, maintain constant love for one another, since love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:8 (CSB) Our thought for today: “Protect your relationships” Today Linda and I are celebrating our forty-third wedding anniversary. We’ve been together as a couple for forty-five years. I praise God for the gift of those years and I pray there will be many more. On the one hand, I’m amazed that it has been that long. Forty-five years is almost half a century! On the other hand, I’m not surprised our marriage has lasted. We’re committed to it, and we always have been. Our vows to each other and to God meant something. But that’s not to say it’s always been easy, because sometimes it hasn’t been. We’ve had our share of disagreements, arguments, and fights. We also raised a handicapped child (the stress of which often drives a wedge between spouses). There have been major illnesses; changes of careers; cross-country moves; financial struggles; boomerang kids (adult kids who move back home after they’ve been launched and sent off into the world); and all sorts of other things which can, if allowed to, will drive couples apart. Part of the secret to our longevity is that we meant our vows. We decided right from the start that we were in this for life and divorce would never be an option. But another strategy that has worked well for us is a determination to stay focused on the positive rather than the negative. We deal with troublesome issues as necessary, but we deal with them as quickly as possible and then we leave them behind. Then, to the greatest extent possible, we focus on and savor the good times, the special moments. One way we do that is by displaying family pictures. Lots of them. They’re everywhere in all the rooms of our home, and in my office, and in Linda’s office, and on our phones – everywhere you look there are pictures. I know that sounds excessive, but it works for us. We’re constantly reminded of special people and special times. We think and talk often about all the memories and all the special moments created over forty-five years as a couple and as a family. Doing so has carried us through many rough patches in life. In 1 Peter 4:9 the apostle reminds us to do what it takes to maintain constant love for each other. In other words, remind yourself of the love that your relationships are built on. Savor the memories, and the special moments, and the special people, and protect those relationships. Maybe displaying lots of family pictures isn’t your thing. That’s okay, discover what your thing is and do that instead. Do whatever it takes to savor the special times with special people. Doing so helps to protect the relationships so they will last. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
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