I Will — With All My Heart
Many years ago, I stood at an altar as Rev. Herbert Wuerch said these words: “Will you love him all the days of your life?” That was a serious question and as a young bride, I had no idea the journey that would be ahead. I would be replying to not just my soon-to-be father-in-law and my soon-to-be husband, but I was saying “I will” to God. And I really meant it. Loving each other all the days of our lives seemed so romantic AND so FOREVER!
We arrived safely at our budget honeymoon destination: Lake Texoma Lodge. Then our short honeymoon ended, and real life began. There were plenty of sweet days. Days we laughed. Days we linked arms and faced the world together.
There were also days I never imagined. There were days we worked side by side in ministry and business, requiring many hours and a great deal of faith. And there were days when bills piled up, and our bank account was low.
There were the days when our baby boy arrived one year later, and all the responsibilities of parenthood began. I hadn’t factored in the series of days we’d miss sleep as young parents and how cranky and out of sorts we’d feel. No one told me how challenging it would be to work through our differences, or when those “till death do us part” words came about.
The pastor (Dad) was requesting so much more than a romantic gesture on my part when I said, “I will”. He was asking if I’d be willing to love this man on both the good and hard days, for that’s what would sustain and build our relationship from here to eternity and beyond.
Just like our relationship with God.
As God prepared to send Jesus to earth, He was not naive like I was back then. God knew in advance that loving the world would be a mishmash of joy and days that included forgiveness and fresh starts. As I read Romans 5:8, I’m blown away by the commitment and unconditional love our Heavenly Father demonstrated from the beginning: “But God demonstrates His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
His commitment was to love us, even as we demonstrated how unlovable we could be. Maybe you are in a place where your relationship with God feels distant, or you’re punishing yourself because you fell short. It’s important to remind yourself that your relationship with God is a long-term commitment.
It’s for all our days.
He loved us while we were yet sinners. He loves us on those days when we bring joy to Him. He loves us when we take that big leap of faith and fall flat on our face. He loves us as we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Him. He loves us when we mess up and confess our need for a fresh start.
The biggest mistake we can make is to walk away from that love for any reason.
Just as I wished someone had told me that my relationship of 44 years with the guy I loved would have its share of up-and-down days, it’s important we acknowledge our walk with God will also contain both beautiful days and days when we struggle.
Yet His love never wavers.
How will we respond to such a great love?
We choose to love Him back, for all our days.