He Makes A Path For Me

Today is concrete day. The day my husband has been working towards since the house was planted on the land in July. Mark is as giddy as the kids were on Christmas morning. Who needs Santa when you have a concrete truck coming to your house?  For months, Mark has diligently been building the footer around our house so that the concrete can be poured, so that the brick can be laid, so that the under belly of our baby, (The Double Wide), can be insulated. *WHEW*

Since July, Mark has had to create, reroute, uncover, transplant, renovate, and redo paths into our home. We have 3 entrances, but at this time only one set of stairs. He has used multiple resources to minimize the amount of Mississippi mud that gets tracked into the house. He has used hay, grass, rocks, stepping stones, and now gravel. At some point in the near future all the paths will be gloriously paved like a city side walk...

It wasn't until this last year, that I heard the most profound and right on definition of marriage. Marriage is the DAILY choice to wake up and minister to your spouse's weaknesses for the rest of their life. It is the INTENTIONAL declaration that you will not seek to change or manipulate your spouses weaknesses, but willingly, compassionately, enter into their weakness, meet them there, and minister to THEM!

Over Christmas, I received the greatest gift a little girl could ask for; I had 3 hours of uninterrupted conversation with my Daddy. Inevitably, we set out to solve all the world's problems. Listening to my Dad and talking with him about ministry, marriage, parenting, Duck Dynasty drama, church woes, missions, and a butt load of other things; always renews my vision for the unfinished work we are all being called to.

And if I were being honest, any time he mentioned his marriage to my sweet Mama, they way he loved her, the way they worked through conflict, the way he remembers her constant ministry to him, a wave of emotions ran over me and my heart collected each word like balm.  

Six days from today will be the thirteenth anniversary of the day Mark proposed. I laugh at who we were then. That baby couple would hardly recognize the old geezers we have become today. The beauty of starting our journey together shortly after we can out of the womb, is that more often than not we have been able to be convicted, changed and challenged together. Since the conception of our relationship, we have sought to find pathways to each other. A means to connect, collaborate, and continue on in the journey of marriage. Different seasons of life have required different means of path making. Early on in our relationship we would write long, deep, overly colorful love letters to each other. Conveying our deepest dreams and desires. Today, 14 1/2 years later, we send text messages, "You are so hot! Grab some milk on your way home! Smooches!"

A sharp decline from our Shakespearean days.

None the less, a pathway for today.

At some point in your marriage you might feel as if there are no pathways left to uncover. The pathways that might have once existed have been burned or blocked by harmful words and habits. But there are always pathways! Maybe there are pathways you are ignoring because they are uninviting. Some pathways are ugly, over grown, and dark. They can be saturated in thorns, and the fear of the unknown can hinder you from exploring those paths.  Don't stop finding pathways. Don't stop exploring.

I am incredibly blessed as an undeserving recipient, to have watched my husband create, reroute, uncover, transplant, renovate, and redo paths to try and get to me. It has not always been easy, comfortable, and instantly rewarding, but worth it.

Everyday.
Every pathway.
Worth it for the life of our marriage.

Now go start blazing a trail!!

~S