Birthday Treasure

So, as of tomorrow I'm married to a 42 year old woman. That's right, Kelli is 42. We have been married since 1990, which means that for more than half of her life she has been with me.

Scary, right?

The Bible has a little verse that says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart shall be also". For over two decades my treasure has been Kelli, and her treasure has been me. Guess what... our hearts have remained madly in love with each other for all these years.

In the past few years I've seen more marriages come to an abrupt and devastating end than I had ever imagined possible. Couple after couple, that once declared undying love for one another, have thrown in the towel. Most of these couples consisted of two people who not only claimed love for one another, but for Jesus Christ as well.

What does that even mean, I wonder: "love for Jesus Christ"?

Maybe I'm wrong, but doesn't it mean that they had more than just deep feelings for Jesus, but that they also were willing to lay down their lives, desires, and passions... for the will and cause of God? I think so.

What if it's true? What if "where your treasure is, there your heart shall be also"? Like, what if the things you and I are spending our time thinking about, spending our money upon, spending our energies pursuing... are actually clues to where our hearts really are?

Do you know how easy it is for your heart, my heart, to stray? Pretty stinkin' easy. For this reason, we must be those who are extremely careful with what we are treasuring.

For more than two decades, my wife has treasured me... and I her. For this reason, we remain madly in love. It's not an accident. It's not because we got real lucky in finding each other (which we did). It is because we have made a conscious decision to treasure one another. In other words, we work hard to make sure that we each are at the top of the priority list, we each are the most important items on each day's agenda.

The same is true for Christ. Our hearts remain "hard after Him", not because we are super-spiritual, or fanatically faithful... but because we make conscious decisions daily to lay our lives down and put His will and ways above our own.

I'm glad Kelli was born 42 years ago. I'm glad we shared a Sociology Class in 1988. I'm overjoyed that she said "yes" to a date, and later "I do" to a life-long life with me. But I'm even more glad that she wakes up each day and still chooses to make her deepest treasure Jesus... and then me. For this reason, I know where her heart lies.

I don't ever have to wonder about that... and I'm really glad.

Happy Birthday, Kelli. I love you 5. Thanks for being you - everything about you is the coolest thing!