Give it 5 Years

Today marks the 5th anniversary of an unforgettable night in my life. I spent hours making myself beautiful. My boyfriend, Joe, arrived on time with a bouquet of red roses. We drove into the sunset and arrived at a tiny park up above the Mississippi River in St. Paul, Minnesota. Joe pulled out a rather large satin box of chocolates and presented them with a smile and a "Happy Valentines Day!" He seemed a tad nervous. I opened the box and right there in front of me was ....chocolate. Ugh. "I thought he was proposing," I grumbled. But wait, did I see something else? I opened the box again and saw a small corner of tissue paper peeking out from under a morsel. I lifted the truffle and there it was! My sapphire and diamond sparkler was wrapped demurely and waiting for me. I took off the tissue and, shaking, lifted it up to take in its beauty. My boyfriend, now on one knee, asked me the question I had waited to hear all my life..."Ashley Elizabeth Nelson, will you be my wife?" I do believe the sun set at that exact moment...and the rest, as they say, is history.

And they lived happily ever after, right? Hmmm well...not at first. Not when you take all of our differences. I'm almost 10 years older, had been out of college for 10 years and had come from a very stable, "traditional" home where mom and dad truly loved each other. Joe, on the other hand, had just graduated college 3 months prior and was raised by a single mother. In fact, there were moments during our engagement when I literally asked myself, "What have you gotten yourself into?" On paper it seemed highly unlikely that we would be compatible. It made more sense that we would be highly COMBATIBLE.

But I had one, great thing to which I clung: my faith in God. His promises never fail. He is always faithful to his people. His timing is perfect and I knew it was my time to marry this man, Joe my prince. I remember hearing a distinct whisper that anchored my soul, "GIVE IT 5 YEARS." But what did that mean?

The Bible speaks of SEASONS and TIMING in Ecclesiastes 3
¹ There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:
² a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
³ a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
⁴ a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
⁵ a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
⁶ a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
⁷ a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
⁸ a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

But perhaps my favorite verse in this passage comes a little later in verse 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. God was saying to me, "It will take time but your marriage will be beautiful. GIVE IT 5 YEARS. You'll see the worst in eachother but GIVE IT 5 YEARS. You'll say and do things you wish you never did but GIVE IT 5 YEARS. You'll lose your dreams but GIVE IT 5 YEARS. You'll become exhausted and worn down by life but GIVE IT 5 YEARS. The demands of young children will overwhelm you but GIVE IT 5 YEARS.... and then you'll just begin to understand in my infinite wisdom why I led you to marry Joe. I love you and always want the best for you. Just stay faithful to me and I will do the rest (Matthew 6:33)."

Well, tonight marks 5 years to the day of that whisper and I write with a lump in my throat when I think of all the amazing things that have transpired for me and Joe. We have two beautiful boys and new dreams in our hearts. Our love grows deeper and richer and has truly become a BEAUTIFUL THING. I have hope for even more amazing things along our journey together, as imperfect as we are. I can hold on to those words and know that my God always knows the perfect time for everything under heaven.