That's what makes a strong relationship.
In the context of marriage, or even engagement, this combination allows a couple to scale the walls that sin and shame try to erect.
I was 19 when I married, and Tom was 25. I don't think he would have picked such a young bride, but God had other plans. :)
We prepared for our wedding in 7 weeks, and the day after we tied the knot, we started driving toward Washington. It was a whirlwind of excitement and anticipation...along with some trepidation for both of us I believe.
The unknown was before us, and we thought we were ready for the great adventure.
Enter real life.
One month into our marriage, it all seemed to be falling apart. You see, I had a dream one night that was very upsetting and come to find out, there was much truth to it in my husband's life.
I will leave the details for him to share if he ever wants to, but suffice it to say, I was hurt deeply and questioning if I had made the biggest mistake of my life.
Being the youngest of three children and the only girl in my family, I did live quite a "fairy-tale" life. My brothers are much older than me, and my parents worked very hard to give me everything I could want or need. My home wasn't "issue-free," but I was blessed.
You can imagine then, after leaving my daddy's home, where heaven and earth was moved to take the best care of me, the thought of my Knight In Shining Armor doing anything hurtful or betraying me was devastating and rocked me to my core.
Was I naive? You better believe it. I think we do a sad injustice to our daughters and sons not preparing them well for reality. I'm not saying we should crush their hopes and dreams, but give them a more accurate picture for sure. Sadly, many of these things are not spoken about like they need to be!
I guess I thought that Tom and I would have our junk, but it would be "little, no-big-deal junk."
What had occurred was pretty big, and it sent me into self-protection mode. I felt like I didn't really know the guy I had just married. I felt like I couldn't trust anyone anymore...not really anyway. Oh, I wouldn't say that to them, but the guard was up in my mind and it would stay up for years to come.
I'm so thankful now that Tom and I stayed together. I know we cared for one another, but I think pride kept us there more than anything, especially more than true 1 Corinthians 13 love. I think we were more concerned with what others would say and think if we divorced. But, thankfully, below the hurt and deception there was a seed of true affection on which to build. It was a start.
Humility and transparency began to come, but it would be years before we would walk in it daily.
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