This is love

Having married the love of my life at the age of 15, you can imagine how important this person is to me. I honestly can not imagine living without him. We've had our ups and downs as any marriage that has lasted 35 years has. During the past few years my love for how very dear and precious my husband is has increased. Yes love has grown and matured. And today a profound revelation.

I was attending the funeral of an 89 year old woman from our church today. Because she had lived with her daughter during the final years of her life I was considering grief and my own recent loss of my Mother.

For some reason my thoughts wandered to the cry I've always had before the Lord regarding my husband. It was: "Lord please please please don't take my husband away from me- don't let him die while I am still alive for I could not survive alone, I could not endure the grief!"

But today as I pondered my hearts cry a new deeper thought approached. And it was this:

Love.. deep enduring love.. places the heart to always wish the best for the one who is loved. And I cannot selfishly continue to ask God to protect me from the pain of loosing my best friend. No.. my prayer has changed because of love.

Now my prayer is: "Lord .. I ask You in Your mercy to take this man home before me- I don't want him to suffer the loss or the pain of grief and life apart. I know that with Your grace I'll survive. Please spare him the heartache of this loss. Take him first Lord"

Wow.. This is love and I've just come to realize it.

Even so Come quickly Lord Jesus!