Giving Thanks for My Godly Wife
“Didn’t the LORD make you one with your wife? In body and spirit you are his. And what does he want? Godly children from your union. So guard your heart; remain loyal to the wife of your youth.”
Two years ago, my beautiful wife and I married in a private ceremony with only our pastor and direct family. Last year, we celebrated our first year of marriage with a traditional wedding that included 100 guests. This was the speech I delivered then. I am uploading this to honor God with thanksgiving for my praiseworthy wife on our second anniversary, which this year includes our newborn son, whom we also asked God for.
“He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the LORD.”
Proverbs 18:22
Thank you, friends, for being here. Thank you, family, for providing for this occasion. You made this happen. [Specific family members on both sides, especially our parents], thank you for your generosity. Thank you to our friends who went out of your way to be here. We are blessed beyond measure because of you and because of the love you have for us. And we love you and are so grateful for the opportunity to share our love with you.
[My bride] and I could not be more blessed by you all. We have a ridiculous amount of support and that is extremely encouraging.
My groomsmen. I love you guys so much. What a perfect crew.
[My youngest brother], my best man. I could not be more proud of who you are and what you have become. You seek Christ, and because of that, you have become mature. You are a faithful man, and I want to acknowledge your faith and your heart before this group here. When you were six or seven, you asked your [aunt] and I to baptize you and be your godparents. Back then, I was still an atheist burning up in that church. Today you read scripture at my wedding. Look where we’re at now bro. How the turn tables. Love you man.
Before I met [my bride], I had asked God in prayer for so much in my future wife. My buddies told me that I needed to let some of my boxes go unchecked. Everyone told me I was too picky and that I was asking for too much. I started wondering if I was unrealistic. I knew that I was asking God for a lot, and I mean a lot. I was asking for a miracle. I started thinking maybe I should tone it down and get used to real life. Why would I ever be so lucky. Is anyone ever that lucky, to get everything they ask for.
Then, through a series of unlikely circumstances, at what I thought was an unlikely time, God introduced me to [my now bride]. At first, I had to be skeptical. I had asked God for a lot, yet this woman seemed to be even better than what I asked for. I thought, “She’s a great actress. Maybe she’s playing the role of the perfect woman really, really well.” A couple months go by. She still won’t break character. Surely, I should have seen a few cracks by now.
I thought to myself, “Okay, but how does she treat the people around her? Because that’s probably how she is eventually going to treat me.” I noticed her honoring her parents and family members, always holding them in high esteem. I saw her very attentive to the needs of others. I saw her loving her friends, never shorting them, never speaking poorly of anyone. I saw that she has such a caring way of relating to other people, and that is because she is fundamentally a nurturer at heart. That’s the reason she is going to make the best mom someday to our children.
I’m so impressed by her in every way. Three months in, I thought, “Time to find a ring.” Nothing else would make sense. Our relationship was too perfect to do otherwise. Three months was long enough for me to realize, “Oh, this is the way our relationship works.” Better than expected is an understatement. Try: better than I even asked for, even when I was asking for the moon.
So now, we’ve been married for a year. We doubled down again today, with you all here. How is it going now, with more on our plate? I mean, we all get it. Life changes. People are dynamic. Relationships are dynamic. How is it really going?
Somehow, it only gets sweeter and sweeter. Better and better. The harder moments actually happen less and less and we grow to love each other more and more. Our love only grows deeper. I am so unbelievably satisfied and so thankful to God. [My bride] is a sign to me of what God is capable of doing. He is capable of doing so much more than what we ask, even when what we ask of Him, seems impossible. I take [my bride] as a sign of the power and love of God for those who trust in Him. God is so generous. Well before I met [my bride], Jesus had already done so much for me that I wasn’t sure of what else I could ask from Him in life. But God doesn’t hold back. He gives us everything. I came to Him as a child asking Him for what I believed was necessary, and He added onto my requests. He didn’t hold back His own suffering and death on the cross. He didn’t hold back the promise of eternal life for those who trust in Him.
When His love for us is already so glorious, does He not continually reveal His love to us in the different facets of our lives? What else am I to do but praise Him. I cannot help but do this little. Jesus has taken care of me and has given me so much more than I can explain to you. [My bride] is the cherry on top. I could not ask for a better mother to our future children. I could not ask for a better wife. She is so sweet; you have no idea. I love her, and I will give thanks to God for the happiness that I have because she is my wife. I hope this comes close to being over the top, because maybe then I will come close to skimming the surface of how good God is and how blessed I am.
So raise a glass. I see you all here and see that [we] have a lot to be thankful for.
We appreciate you.