What marriage can teach girls

On this day nine years ago, I married the love of my life.

We exchanged our vows in front of a small crowd in a large sanctuary, complete with stained glass windows, red carpet, and a taper candle that just wouldn't stand straight.

There wasn't anything really remarkable about the ceremony, except for the pastor's illustration of the Energizer Bunny to point out that marriage is a covenant meant to last an eternity (no, I wasn't expecting that).

The last nine years, however, have been anything but usual. In that time, we've...

• buried two parents and a sibling
• grieved the loss of three grandparents
• said goodbye to two dogs and two fish
• faced infertility
• endured and completed the process for international adoption (for which any family should receive a purple heart!)
• grieved over one failed adoption
• adopted the most beautiful, clever, intelligent, hysterical child EVER (no bias, really)
• brought home a prone-to-chew-on-everthing-including-my-undergarments dog with enough energy to power a small country
• faced depression
• undergone three surgeries (that I can count) and overcame uncounted sinus infections, sprained toes, wounded knees, and other illnesses (including a stomach illness that involved yogurt)
• endured five principal changes (him) and five supervisor changes (me)
• experienced the ecstacy and the agony of being Alabama football fans
• traveled to countless states, taught countless conferences, counseled countless people, stayed in countless less-than-sterile hotels, motels, and lodges
• crashed one car and bought another
• laughed together at private jokes, funny situations, and stupid things we've done 

And the students Jim and I teach, mentor, and share life with have watched us through every single minute of it.  We've voiced our prayers in Sunday School, discipleship groups, and in worship. We've talked about the joys and struggles, arguments and funny moments. Even when we didn't realize it, we were demonstrating how a believer can experience life at its best and at its worst.

Whether you are married or not, the lesson of this blog entry is simple—how you live matters. The girls in your church, your school, and your home see how you respond to life, whether it's a major death in your family or how you treat your dog. Your life, in whatever stage and in whatever situation, is a living sketch of God's face intersecting with human experience.

My prayer for my marriage—and for you—is that the picture is a good one.