Trust Him

My husband and I work different schedules now, and we cherish every moment that we get to spend together. A few days ago, we were blessed to experience an unexpected morning together, before he had to work.

We drove. We weren’t even in the convertible, but it was a gorgeous late summer day, and we drove. He took me through every neighborhood that I wanted to see. We looked at the huge, beautiful houses with admiration and eventually arrived together at the same thought: We don’t ever want to put so much effort into a house, or anything other than the purpose we can serve in God’s grand plan.

We took the country roads toward home, and then passed home. His aim was to surprise me with lunch at a tiny little eatery that we noticed on other excursions, but it was closed. He wasn’t daunted at all. He had a plan B that was just as special…another little lunch spot that was on our radar.

We sat outside, the only patrons on the patio, and we talked as we ate our sandwiches. Oh, I love talking to him.

In the same way that I hear the language of my Lord through the beauty of nature, I hear His cadence calling to me through the eyes and conversation of my husband. As I responded to Jim’s gentle speech, I found the Lord ministering to me with the very words that I spoke, as well.

I opened up about my personal struggles with our relationship. I revealed to him that there are days in which I must consciously remind myself that what was once only a fairy tale, is now my reality. I had to tell him that I open my eyes to the light of day sometimes, with the feeling that I need to make myself climb out of bed. I lived that way for a long time, and my human nature tends to tug at me, trying to pull me back there.

When the threads of the past threaten to entangle you, touch the One who untied the knots with His work on the cross.

And then I turn over in bed, or I reach out and lay my hand on the opposite side, and touch his warm body. And there I lay, caught in the center as my past and my reality clash. But what strength does the past have against the truth of reality? Ultimately, truth always prevails. In that one single touch, I am reminded that I no longer live life holding on to strands of fairy tales. Now, more than ever, I am living in reality. Truly living in reality.

I wanted him to know about that internal struggle and where I am when my gaze goes out and beyond the moment, and my words are hushed.

I wanted him to know the significance of what his love has accomplished in me, how it has turned my world completely right-side-up, how I still find myself trying to walk on the ceiling sometimes, and how thankful I am for the gravity of God.

And here is the message…

This is our Creator’s intention for marriage. It reflects His unconditional love and acceptance of us. The Father knows the dangerous potential when we try to shove our weaknesses into the shadows. He wants our response to His love to include honesty about our own fragility and flaws.

In the same way that reaching out to touch my husband in the dark hours of night brings me into the reality of the moment, so it is with God. In the darkest of dark times, I need only to reach out to Him. He is always there, and He will never leave me.

In the same way that openly discussing my frailties with my husband brings me comfort and reassurance of His love and steadfastness, so it is with God. When our weaknesses threaten to overcome us, all that is required is that we dig them out of the shadows and show them to Him. When we offer them in honesty, He takes them. He fills the place where the weaknesses once reigned with His strength.

Reach out today. Touch the Lover of your soul, and soak in the reality of the moment. This is where you are now. No more looking back.

When the threads of the past threaten to entangle you, touch the One who untied the knots with His work on the cross.

Just trust Him. Trust the love and security of the Bridegroom with today.