Marriage...and chocolate cake

     Sometimes there's just nothing quite like chocolate cake.
     Mt. Airy Chocolate Souflee cake from Crooks Corner in Chapel Hill, to be exact.  With fresh whipped cream.  O my, O my.  Surely God said, after He created chocolate, "And it was extraordinarily good!"
     Richard and I are here in good old Chapel Hill, celebrating our 26th wedding anniversary.  Hard to believe--26 years ago this very day.  Thank You, Father, the Giver of all good gifts.  Thank You for the gift of marriage and of children and of walking with You every single day in this crazy, challenging adventure of life.  Thank You for the good times and the hard times and the stretching times and the exasperating times and the joyous times...and all the times in between.  And thank You for the gift of friends and family to encourage us in, and along, this journey of life together.
     I love the words of Scotty Smith: "Oh, that more of us would live as partners in the gospel, as cosabaoteurs of the kingdom of darkness, rather than frittering our years away on less noble pursuits and passions.  There are so many different story lines clamoring for our marriages--so many distractions and seductions.  A marriage, just like singleness, is too precious a gift to spend on pettiness and non intentional living.  Bring more gospel sanity to our marriages, Jesus.  Rescue us, resuscitate us, refresh us."
     Lord, make our marriages count.  Make our relationships count.  Make our lives count for eternity.  And that requires refusing to live only for ourselves and instead living for You.  Not indulging our selfish desires, but seeking first and foremost to love and serve You and those You have graciously put in our lives.  "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus." (Phil.2:3-5)   Whew, I have a long way to go in this department...but praise God I have a Savior who will go with me as long as it takes to become like Jesus and love unconditionally and unselfishly and graciously.
     So here's to 26 years of marriage...with my husband and with my Savior.  O Lord, thank You for forgiveness and grace, the fertilizers of love.  And, of course, thank You for Mt.Airy Chocolate Souflee Cake.  God is so so good.
    To God be the glory.