Heidi and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary on July 9th. We spent a day in Santa Cruz, and we walked along the Boardwalk. We walked the length of the Boardwalk twice, and as we pulled away from the throngs of people walking toward the pier I told Heidi, "It's been a long time since I was around that much humanity." That short quarter-mile stretch held so much laughing, running, pushing, music, drunkenness, fighting, playing, and eating.
We were looking for a place to eat as we walked along the pier, and we saw several hungry/homeless people. I had forgotten. It's been too long since I was around truly hungry people. I was convicted that at this marking point in our marriage we couldn't simply celebrate ourselves. With Heidi's permission we invited a young man, Johnny, to share our anniversary dinner with us.
We had a pleasant dinner and good conversation. I hope we were an encouragement to Johnny. I didn't think about it at the time, but I am so happy with my marriage. I trust Heidi implicitly, not only for her actions but even for her motivations. Her life, in every aspect, belongs to God, and so does mine.
When you join your life to Christ you become less of yourself, and in the same way a Christ-centered marriage makes you less yourself and more Christ-like. When scripture says that 'two become one' it carries so many beautiful meanings, and in heavens backward math I can honestly say that the two of us are less than we were before we got married. All of you who are struggling against self can feel what I mean.
