Fifty Years of Wonder

Sara and I were married on May 17, 1975. Tomorrow, we will celebrate fifty years together, and we both feel incredibly grateful not only for the gift the other has been to us but also for God’s help in navigating the last fifty years together to greater freedom and wholeheartedness.

I used to think fifty years of marriage was an achievement, but now I know it is a gift. We have dear friends whose spouses died at younger ages, and people very close to us whose marriages ended in painful divorces. It’s always a tragedy when a marriage comes to an end, even a bad one. The promise of love got swallowed up in someone’s selfishness, trauma, or abuse. No one sees it coming on the day they get married, and none of them are less worthy of happiness than Sara and I. I take comfort in knowing that God has other ways to fulfill their joy.

Sara has always been the most fantastic wife, lover, and friend. She has brought so much joy, wisdom, and beauty into my life. I will be forever grateful for the day God brought us together and how he has walked with us through the years. We know that two flawed people got married fifty years ago, and learning to love each other more deeply continues to change us for the better.

Yesterday, we flew to Alaska for a brief land tour before boarding a cruise down the coast to Vancouver. This morning, we began a two-part podcast in which Kyle asks me provocative questions about how Sara and I have navigated this journey. We talk about the amazing wisdom God had in putting two people together for life, and how learning to love another person so closely is the training ground for discovering the power of love. Other than that, things will be quiet on my websites for the next ten days or so.

Recently, Sara and I have been sorting through pictures from our life together. We’ve had so many amazing moments with each other, our kids and grandkids, and the friendships and travel opportunities we’ve enjoyed. We have lots to celebrate and live every day in immense gratitude for all we have shared.

We’ve also had our tough times, to be sure. You don’t get through fifty years without traversing deep valleys because of tragic circumstances or struggling to communicate past differing points of view. Eventually, we would find our way to unity again and be able to continue with our love growing deeper.

So, these days, we are grateful for God’s work in each of us individually and in our lives together. Without him, we wouldn’t have made it this far. We look forward to the adventures still to come, ever more in love today than all the days before.