Our apple tree symbolizes hope for our marriage. Ian and I bought it on our 28th wedding anniversary in 2011. By grace we have grown closer in every way over the years. We’ve had our seasons of drought when our relationship seemed to wither for a while. It’s always our hope in the Master Gardener that keeps us grafted together.
We’re committed.
And because we have basic good will towards each other, we grow as a unit.
My favorite marriage book is Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs. This author has wisdom and wit. It’s great resources like this book that enabled us to be fruitful in our relationship.
Recently, my husband said, “We’re doing it.”
He went on to say that we’re growing old together. This is something we both wanted and voiced many years ago.
It’s my hope that many years from now we’ll still be enjoying the fruits of a healthy marriage, and apples from our anniversary tree. This past summer I shared an apple a day with my first grandchild.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NIV
Spouses who lean on Jesus first make marvelous partners for life.
Lean on the Lord:
When your heart hurts
And you want to curl up in a ball
Give God your sorrows
Give Him them all
~
When your mind spins
And you can’t find release
Give God your worries
And He’ll give you His peace.
~ wlm
Blessings ~ Wendy ❀
I hope you enjoyed my first Flashback Friday post. This was based on a blog post from 2012. It happened to be my inaugural post of my greenlightlady WordPress blog which I have given my wendylmacdonald domain name to. I’m not sure how successfully it will send out to all my subscribers.
Welcome back to those who are reading this. 😊
Here’s the original post which I have left as-is: Apple Blossoms
I’m nosy-to-know which marriage book has been like an apple tree of hope for you?
I used to prune apple trees every winter for about thirty years and watching them mature struggle and suffer from storm or insect damage and yet still survive to give fruit has been one way God has taught me about life. Did you know that from sprout to fruit that it takes an apple tree eight years to give its first apple? The little seedling has to put down roots, shiver through seven winters and have time to grow before it can blossom. Thanks for sharing. Have a blessed week!
Thank you, Pastor Pete. 🙂 Your words remind me we need to exercise the same patience and diligence in our prayer lives as we pray for others to know and love God. Witnessing the fruits of the Spirit come to life in the lives of those we love will be worth the time we spent on bended knees. Blessings on your weekend.
What a lovely analogy, my friend! We are young yet in all this- not quite eight years in, but the Lord has grown us so much in that time. I pray He continues to graft our tree together. May He do so for the two of you. Blessings! ☺
Thank you, dear Marisa. Congratulations on eight years of marriage. What a gift to grow in God together as a couple. Everything else–finances, holidays, accomplishments–pales in importance to our precious faith in Jesus. Blessings on you and your dear family. 🙂
So true! Thanks so much!
What a sweet reminder, dear Wendy! Funny, I had the “Love and Respect” book in my hand last night. It truly is a great resource/reminder … and so practical! I am going on 32 years with my best friend. We, too, had dry seasons. I told someone the other day that when you get this far, you really appreciate why God made us so different. I have stopped feeling the need to change my husband and have more often said, “You could be right!”. Thanks again, dear Wendy, for sharing a snippet from your past! Something that helps us look forward to the future 🙂
Thank you, dear Heidi. I keep that book by my bedside to remind me that marriage is more about serving God than about me being served what I hoped for in this life. It’s been a humongous blessing to us. 🙂