Monday's Marriage Moment -- You Will Cross Over!

On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.”
-Mark 4:35

I am on the other side. I don't think I realized it until this morning. Today, John and I have been married for 18 years. When, I woke up this morning, 18 years after we stood at the altar and promised to love, cherish, and honor each other, I was amazingly aware that I had made it to the other side. There are some battles that I don't have to fight any more. I have gained wisdom in some areas. John and I have resolved that we are to be together for the rest of our lives, and we are choosing to use the strength of our unity to empower other couples to do the same.

In order to celebrate the other side, however, you must appreciate how you got there. Eighteen years ago we were a naive couple who did not fully comprehend what marriage was. We just both knew that we were supposed to be together. Like the disciples on the boat in Mark 4, we just knew that we were supposed to take this journey. Jesus, told them, "Let us cross over to the other side", and so they set sail. John and I did the same thing. We said, "I do", and embarked on the journey of marriage. We didn't even know that there was an other side to get to. Then, just like the disciples, we encountered some unexpected storms. There were many times that our "boat" was tossed to and fro, and there were many times that we were not sure that it was going to survive the storm. At times we felt like we were drowning, and at times we felt like the winds and waves would overtake us. Again, just like the disciples, fear and panic was our response, but we called on Jesus to help us. You know what He did? He calmed the wins. He gave us His peace, and we made it to the other side. John and I still face storms. The difference is that now we face them together. We have experienced enough to know that Jesus is in the boat with us.

As I write this, I am flooded with emotion, and tears have no choice but to fall. They are tears of thankfulness, however. I am not just celebrating our 18 year anniversary today, I am celebrating every year in between. See, you can't appreciate where you are without appreciating how you got where you are. I am thankful for those things that grew me and matured me, and I am thankful that God didn't waste one minute of that time. I can't go back in time to tell my 24 year-old self that she is going to make it - that she will cross over, but I can do everything in my power to tell every other wife that she will. I can tell my story - share my hurts, pains, tragedies, and triumphs - so that someone else won't have to endure every storm that I had to endure. I can let God use me to snatch marriages out of the enemy's grip; empower wives who have given up hope; and disciple couples who are going through what I went through. See, that's the beauty of crossing over. You get to help someone else to do the same. Dear wife, you will cross over! It won't always be like this. If you remember that God is with you and trust Him to calm your storms, you will enter a new place. Don't let this storm take you out! Don't let it overtake you.  Mark 5:1 says, "Then they came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gadarenes". The disciples crossed over, and you will to!