God in the Middle…

It was a late lunch…and I was in a hurry. As you can imagine, time can often become a fun little balancing act in a family like mine. Anyway, I had left the church to grab a late lunch and then run back to continue my work and prepare for the arrival of one of my children. I had all that on my mind when I heard someone say,

“Yes, relationships can be tough. I’m celebrating my fifty-first anniversary on Sunday, so I know a little about that.”

I glanced in the direction of the voice and saw an angel.

Not really, I saw a professional woman, who, like me, was grabbing a late lunch, to go. She looked at me and smiled a broad smile, then turned to face the young lady across the sandwich counter.

I started to fill my drink and prepare to walk out the door, when I felt compelled to ask her what the secret to her long, happy marriage had been.

“Excuse me, ma’am. I heard you say that you have been married fifty-one years. May I ask you a quick question?”

“You sure can.”

“So, I am curious to know, what is the key to your long, happy marriage?”

She grinned, broadly, again. “Well, some folks don’t like when you get spiritual…”

“I do,” I said. “I’m a pastor. Get as spiritual as you like.” We both laughed.

“Understand something, first. Our marriage hasn’t been perfect,” she said. “We’ve had our fights and our tough times. My husband can be hard headed, at times.”

“Never met a husband who wasn’t…including me.”

“Well…the key,” she said, drawing a line across the counter with her hand, ” has always been God in the middle. We’ve kept Jesus right there, in the center. I’m a believer, and he is, too. Without God, right there in the middle, we never would have made it.”

I nodded and thanked her for her example. She smiled and turned to pay for her late lunch. I then rushed back to my car and said a quick prayer of thanks for godly men and women who have continued to honor God and their marriage vows, serving as an example for the rest of us who hope to be celebrating fifty-one years one day in the middle of Subway and giving God the glory for all to hear.

¹ Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children, ² and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NRSVUE)

Happy Wednesday!