One of the greatest joys, honors, and blessings in my life is family. Keeli and I were married on July 31, 2010. I can’t give you a formula for falling in love, but I can give you some insight from my own experience. First, I didn’t just fall in love and stay down. I fall in love every day I wake up. Marriage is a miracle – a cycle of bliss that gets better and better.
How many weddings have you been to where you heard, “In sickness and in health,” or, “For better or for worse,” and maybe even, “For richer or poorer,” in the vows? You may have even said these in your own wedding vows. But are these Biblical to speak over your marriage? If the power of life and death are in the tongue, why would you speak sickness, poverty, or worse over your future? Why would you declare an expectation of those things over the future of the person you love the most?
If you are married and guilty of speaking vows like this, it doesn’t necessarily mean your marriage is doomed. Repentance is simply changing your mind. We have the mind of Christ and His mind is not on sickness or poverty for His bride. Many are offended at the Gospel (aka the “too good to be true news”). Health and wealth are in heaven. Jesus wanted to bring heaven to earth. But those things are obtained when we seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness.
Vows often reflect what a bride and groom expect for their future. Sickness is not in the kingdom of God. Poverty is not in the kingdom of God. Worse is not in the kingdom of God. Jesus would never speak an expectation of sickness over His bride. Money fights end most marriages. Sickness steals joy from marriages. We wanted our marriage to be one where we are seeking the kingdom of God in agreement together.
Keeli and I wrote our own vows. We stood at the altar and continue to stand on the promise that Jesus is taking us from glory to glory. Renewed minds begin to think in these terms: Health and healthier, wealth and wealthier, better and better-er. Not because of our works but because of His finished work on the cross. He is the Solution who brings solutions. He is the Creator who brings creative ideas. He is the answer, the source, and the grace to accomplish anything.
Since we said “I do”, many may believe that we dropped off the face of the earth and don’t pay much attention to the outside world. I, personally, thrive in an atmosphere of people, conversation, and diversity. But at the end of the day, I can’t get home fast enough. I just can’t wait to see the most beautiful face I ever laid eyes on. It’s hard to leave her in the mornings but it’s a joy when I get home. Even the most mundane and painstaking tasks are enjoyable because of the company of my best friend.
One of my favorite things to do with Keeli is dream with her. It keeps the best in front of us. We keep a book of dreams, visions, and plans for the future. We have already checked a few items from that list. We take the steps to see those dreams become reality. How many realists do you know who see miracles, healing, signs, and wonders on a regular basis? I am not in denial that bad things happen. We are believers in Love Himself. True Love will take you from glory to glory.
Jonathan Fawcett
July 31, 2010 was the day Keeli and I were married. It was a good day. It was a great day. But not the best day. Everything ran smoothly, the ceremony was powerful, the music was perfect, and the bride was beautiful. Yes, it will be a day that we celebrate. But a wedding doesn't make a marriage. The best is not behind us. The best is today. And it will be surpassed by tomorrow. The sacrament of marriage is a necessary glory to step into in order to step up to the next glory. One of our favorite pastimes is remembering how Jesus rescued us by closing certain doors, promoting us by opening new ones, and directing our steps to see our family equipped to prosper. When our family advances, the kingdom advances. Our wedding was one day we will always cherish. But it will never measure to the lifetime we will spend together, continually falling in love with one another.
A celebration of matrimony is like heaven: all the people you love is in one room together, sharing in the joyous occasion. But we have made many great friends since our wedding day. We wish there was a way they could have been there to celebrate our union with us. So I created this... Enjoy.