In Sickness And In Health: Who Do You Cling To?

My husband and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. I remember our wedding like it was yesterday...a bright and sunny day, a beautiful church, a horse and buggy ride through the park, and an amazing reception, To celebrate 25 years, our girls had a picture of our wedding day enlarged onto a canvas and had a cake made to resemble our wedding cake. In reminiscing, I remember something very significant about the wedding ceremony:

During our ceremony, we repeated vows declaring that we would stay with each other through everything. "I, Erin, take you, Jon, for my lawful husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part." We have certainly had rich and poor days. And we have also had better and worse days. However, when I said, "in sickness and in health" that day, I got tearful, not fully realizing what our future held...the sickness that we would encounter...and how difficult it would be. But...we learned very early in our marriage to depend upon each other and, most importantly, to depend upon God!

My pain started in 2013. I would have bad days here and there, but it slowly worsened until it started to consume me. And I knew that if it consumed me...it would tear apart the most important relationship that God had attached to me. So how did we learn to navigate through this? We already learned that we could trust each other. We also knew that if we both had a right relationship with God, we would be given the strength to endure and to help each other through any situation.

We Cling To Each Other In Difficulties

During life's difficulties Jon and I depend upon each other. It is nice to have the support of friends and family, however, to have the other half of the one to which you have been adjoined, is how we have been designed. He is to "cleave" to me. This comes from the Greek word "proskollao"..."pros" meaning "towards" and "kollao" meaning "to glue."

6 But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. 7 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; 8 And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. (Mark 10:6-8)

We took a vow to be glued together, a vow to become one. One in good times. One in bad times. And one in ,yes, sickness. My husband never thought that my sickness would give him just cause to pull away. So what does he choose to do? He supports, he encourages, he picks up the slack, he comforts. He becomes the other half of our unit that is strong and functioning. Is this easy? No. That's where God steps in.

We Cling To God In Difficulties

When push comes to shove, we grab onto the One who can help through any circumstance.

And as a couple, our strength comes from a supernatural source...a well of unending power. The Apostle Paul describes it well:

9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

As a married couple, we have something pretty incredible when we function the way God intended. When I am weak, my husband is strong. That strength comes from God. So in my sickness, God's strength is made perfect in not just me...in us! His power rests upon our marriage.

Like all difficulties in marriage, sickness isn't easy to bear. But it is something that we can bear together. We cling to each other and we cling to God. Did you find this useful? Comment below. If you haven't subscribed, please do! Coming up...some essentials that go along with this!