Four Years.

“Do not forget that true love sets no conditions; it does not calculate or complain, but simply loves.” – Saint John Paul the Great

Saint JP II is up in Heaven laughing that I chose that quote to put a the top of our anniversary post. There is no doubt that I’m lightyears away from no longer complaining. Josh and I are full of shortcomings. I won’t list them all out (for both of our sakes). We argue about all sorts of things, from the semi-serious to the ridiculous. Here’s a little sample. A couple years ago we got into one of our most heated arguments about whether I would live on the moon if Josh got stationed there. I told him, no way, I would stay earthside (I’m terrified of space). Josh couldn’t believe that I wouldn’t want to live on the moon and was even further at a loss that I told him I wouldn’t follow him there. I was dumbfounded that he was seriously upset when the military (thankfully!!!) doesn’t have any bases in space. This argument was recently revived when this song came up on JP’s pandora station…

Then, Josh forever memorialized that precious moment with this year’s anniversary gift:

…emphasis on the “and back.” Clearly, I haven’t worked out that whole “without conditions” piece of true love.

I’m glad we can joke about this once very volatile topic.

All jesting aside, I continue to come back to this quote: “When marriage exposes a person’s selfishness and sins it’s doing what it is meant to do: bringing our sins and wounds to light so we can recognize them, confess them and begin the healing process,” (Christopher West quoted in Purity 365, 66). The longer we’re married, the more I sense just how far I am from loving Josh perfectly because of my own sins. I never will love perfectly, really, in this lifetime. But it’s no reason to despair because Christ, “..who began a good work in [us] will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus,” (Philippians 1:6). We are far from perfect, but Christ continues to use our weaknesses to bring about our ultimate good: to know his love and find our salvation in him. It’s a painful process, because we’re stubborn and thick…But the Lord is good and patiently continues to reveal to us just what it means to love one another as he loves us.

Joshua, I’m glad that you’re the one alongside me in this refining fire! If there is ever a time that the Air Force asks you to go to the moon, I’ll at least reconsider.

❤