Tomorrow, I have the privilege of consecrating a marriage, officiating the wedding ceremony of two wonderful people I have known since they were children. What we will do in that sacred moment is holy work—the beautiful creation of a new family. As I anticipate their special day, my thoughts drift back to when I first fell in love and became a young husband 50 years ago.
I first saw her on a Sunday morning in June 1974, in church. A week later, when we shared our first kiss, a surge of emotion left me delirious with desire. On January 10, 1975, we were married. Our early days were filled with the bliss of new love. Then, life happened. Within two years, we had a child, then another. By our seventh year, she was a tired mother of toddlers, and I was a young minister consumed by church work.
During the 41 years I had the privilege of being Bev’s
husband, I discovered a dimension of life I could never have known as a single
man. Together, we were stronger than we could have been alone. The wisdom of
Solomon rings true:
"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their
labor: If either of them falls down, one can help the other up."
(Ecclesiastes 4)
Too many marriages end when passion matures into a deeper love that isn’t always recognized or appreciated. Some prioritize the thrill of being "in love" over love itself. When the heart-stopping emotions of early passion fade, they assume love has died. But that doesn’t mean marriage must settle into dull routine.
Despite what our culture portrays in songs and movies, love extends far beyond desire and roses. The older couple who finish each other’s sentences, who sit together in silent understanding, have discovered a love that newlyweds don’t yet know exists.
The Bible often uses marriage to illustrate God’s relationship with His people, and for good reason. Many come to Christ in a moment of crisis or deep searching, experiencing a spiritual "honeymoon" filled with relief, love, and purpose. Yet, over time, that initial excitement can wane. Scripture verses that once stirred deep emotion may feel routine. Prayers may seem to echo unanswered in an empty room. Worship can become more about habit than heartfelt adoration.
If you find yourself in that place, don’t abandon your faith. Instead, seek a deeper intimacy with God—one built on commitment, gratitude, and the anticipation of His eternal promises. True spiritual maturity is found in faithfulness, even in the silence. Some, mistaking the absence of emotional highs for a lack of faith, search for another church or abandon spiritual practices altogether, falling into apathy or worldly distractions.
Having been raised in Pentecostal traditions, I now recognize that much of what we called “revival” was, at times, a longing for the emotional intensity of early faith. But true renewal doesn’t look backward—it reaches forward. Yesterday may be a sweet memory, but we cannot relive the thrills of the past.
As we walk through this season of Lent, take time for silence. Seek God beyond the ways you have known Him before. Be open to a fresh experience of His love. Let go of the expectation that church services must always leave you tingling with excitement. Instead, rededicate yourself to serving Him and to being part of a church community—just as in marriage, through both the joys and the challenges.
I am overjoyed for the couple who will stand before God and their families as I lead them in their vows. Their love is beautiful, but I know they will face trials that will require them to renew their commitment again and again. Likewise, I rejoice for the person who has just found faith, glowing with the thrill of discovering God’s love. And I pray that they, too, will remain faithful when trials inevitably come.
Put your hope in God. Here is a word from Scripture—one you may have heard before, but take time to reflect on its call to mature love. Then, go love God and live in the fullness of His joy.
"Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always
hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Prophecy and speaking in
unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last
forever! Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of
prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! But when full understanding
comes, these partial things will become useless. When I was a child, I spoke
and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.
Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see
everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete,
but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me
completely. Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the
greatest of these is love."
(1 Corinthians 13:7-13, NLT)
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