“I’ll love you forever, forever and always. Through the good, the bad, and the ugly. Let’s grow old together forever and always.” Those were the words Justin sang to me right before he proposed.
Today’s post is a little different as today is our five year anniversary. As I sit here and reflect on the past five years, I am struck, humbled, and thankful for God’s goodness in placing such a kind, patient, forgiving man in my life. Justin shows me continual grace in all of my ugly moments, encouragement in my darkest times, and unfailing love in times I feel unlovable. He makes me laugh, feel cherished, known, and adored. He is an amazing dad to Nora, an incredible partner and truly my best friend and favorite person.
That being said, he is far from perfect and we are far from perfect… We argue over foolish things and often let our selfish tendencies come through to the surface. Can you imagine if we captured those moments on camera? But since we don’t, it’s important to recognize especially in the social media age where it’s easy to project a smoke screen of a perfect, painless, easy life. Being open, real, and sharing the broken and the imperfect parts of life is important and it’s also through those times that we see God’s hand, his redemption, and his love for us.
The past five years of marriage have come with all sorts of struggles and victories. As Justin said while we were dating, “Let’s fight the problem, not each other.” While we fail to implement this much of the time, we have pushed through and grown together, ultimately appreciating each other more and better understanding how important it is to have a forgiving, servant’s heart. My prayer is that our marriage is a testament to God’s goodness and that we can be a light in His kingdom.
Happy 5 year anniversary my love. It is my joy to be your wife.
Beautifully said, Liz!
So well said, Liz. As your Dad, it is such a contstant blessing to know you are cherished by Justin.