Three years ago today I got married. Most certainly the best day of my life. There is something almost unbelievable about the commitment of marriage. Making the choice to be intimately involved with someone else’s life forever is a truly amazing commitment and even today when I sit down, quiet myself, and think about what it has meant to me thus far it is difficult to comprehend or put into words. My wife has made that same commitment to me and the power and weight behind that reality is something that brings forth a deep emotional response. I am blessed beyond what I could have imagined.
My wife is named Sarah. She is a tall, smokin’ hot, redhead on the outside and a fiercely stubborn, incredibly passionate and creative woman on the inside who knows how to love and care for others more deeply than anyone else that I have been close to in my life. Many people have told me that I have a deeply caring nature about me and I do believe that is one of my giftings but the depth of care that my wife embodies is truly inspiring. She wants the absolute best of love for everyone she comes across and she doesn’t simply feel it she actually wants to act on that desire in each of those moments. It has caught me off guard many times. She may want to feed the homeless, adopt every child, adopt every dog, support every friend who is raising money for a missions trip, the list truly does go on and on. It inspires me daily and at times that passion can put me to shame - this is one of the great gifts of marriage - be thankful if your significant other can put you to shame by way of their passion to love others.
She is also incredibly creative. For our wedding she decided to create her own bouquets and it ignited an idea in her that has taken her to some pretty amazing heights that seem to be getting more and more inspiring each and every week. Sarah began her journey into the world of small business development over two years ago now starting with weddings that she would do for only the cost of the materials. She did this for a full wedding season and got her footing in the industry. She flew by the seat of her pants but her desire to succeed and her natural gifting to want nothing but the best for her brides has taken her to a place where she is having to turn clientele away because she is in demand. Truly remarkable evidence of her commitment and passion for life. Sarah you inspire me daily.
Our marriage is flawed just like all marriages but after three years being together I have come to realize that the flawed nature of two humans coming together in marriage is really the ‘secret sauce’ of the commitment. Life is of little value if it is not full of challenges to overcome because the human experience is all about growth and transformation. When you realize that is what life is about than marriage takes on a whole new meaning. It is no longer about making each other happy or ‘complete’ it is simply about partnering with someone on the journey towards greater self discovery and understanding. Having a person in your life who is committed to you through all of the confusion, failure, frustration and overall dysfunction is beautiful. Being front row and centre for the transformation journey is the greatest gift you can offer to someone else. Sarah and I get to be ourselves with no filters, hopefully, to one another's transformation. Seeing Sarah grow each and every day is easily the best part of my life and having her there for me, 100% committed to me as I grow allows me to do things I could have never done on my own.
I don’t expect Sarah to be perfect and I don’t expect her to fulfill all of my deepest needs but I do expect her to be herself and have a desire to continue to grow into the fullness of who she was created to be. If I am going to expect that of her then I need to be fine with going through the pain and suffering that comes with growth. Am I always on board? No, I can be pretty soft and needy sometimes, but once I get over myself and see what is going on in her life and in our relationship I am often humbled and in awe of the privilege that I have been granted with.
Marriage is truly incredible and I am as so thankful that I have been blessed with my wife Sarah. We’ve gone through some very uncomfortable experiences over the past three years, but I am more thankful for those times then I am for all the comfortable times because those tough experiences are what bond us more tightly together. The growing pains are what this is all about.
Sarah Christine Keegstra, I love you deeply and I know I need to remind you of that more often. I hope that today I am able to remind you of my love for you and that we can celebrate our journey to this point with a really tasty pizza, some encouraging conversation and be able to look at one another knowing that our commitment is forever and always. A gift greater than anything we have been able to receive up until this point.
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