As I sit here and write this, a very special day is coming up for us soon. It will be our wedding anniversary. What a special day; it was 34 years ago when Joanne and I said our marriage vows to each other and committed to each other for life.
What can I say? Except that the last 34 years have been the most blessed years of our lives. God made marriage so good and so sacred. Without the Lord, I’m sure our marriage would have been a disaster. So many marriages are today, and that is certainly not God’s will.
It is impossible to put a value on a godly spouse; they’re worth more than all the gold in the world. The Bible says, “Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies” (Proverbs 31:10 KJV). That is certainly true of my Joanne.
Joanne has stood faithfully by my side all these years. When things were going very badly years ago with the people we worked for, Joanne and I earnestly prayed and spent time in the Bible. God guided us to get our own farm. We had very little for finances, so we had to go to the Lord in prayer and ask Him to provide for us over and over again, and He always did. Joanne and I never doubted or looked back; we walked in faith, and God always came through, sometimes in the most unexpected ways. Joanne has always been a great woman of faith. A great wife, mother and helpmate. Without Joanne, I wouldn’t be the person I am today. I wouldn’t have the wonderful family we have today. We wouldn’t have this farm, and I wouldn’t be writing this column either.
I have seen some terrible marriages and homes over the years, and I knew I certainly didn’t want one of them. That’s why I asked the Lord to pick out a godly wife for me, and He most certainly did. God is faithful and answers prayers. It’s been such a blessing having a godly home and farm all these years. It’s also been wonderful working alongside my sweetheart and kids all these years.
Yes, there have been many challenges over the years: sick cows, sick calves, broken-down equipment, droughts and so forth. But, God has always been faithful and brought us through them all. And, Joanne has always stood faithfully by my side and helped me, even in the darkest nights.
There will be dark nights and storms, but it is wonderful to have a godly spouse who stands by my side and looks to the Lord with me. For there is always a bright morning coming then.
For our anniversary, I’m planning something very special, something I’m sure will bless her. If you have a wonderful spouse, you need to go out of your way to bless him or her, for they are surely worth it.
On dark days and on bright days, we always need to put the Lord first and walk in love. Failure to do so will be hard on a marriage, family, farm and an individual. After all these years, I certainly know this to be true.
Our anniversary is a very special day, and we will celebrate what God has done. He is so good and so loving.
