Happily Ever After

On May 14^th, 2016 I will marry the most amazing guy I know. I could not be more thankful that God brought him into my life. However, as amazing as that day will be it will not be my “happily ever after.” Growing up little girls watch princess movies and reads stories that end with a prince and princess marrying and the words “and they all lives happily ever after.” I wonder how the perception that marriage is the ultimate prize and that once you get married life is perfect, has impacted our culture and our marriages today? How many little girls have grown up believing that marriage is all they need to live happily ever after?

I’ve been reading the book “You and Me forever” by Francis Chan. I started reading this book about a year ago when it first came out, before Brian and I started seriously dating. I had absolutely no intention of reading this book because I thought I was getting married someday soon. I read it because I found the subtitle of the book, “Marriage in light of eternity,” to be intriguing (and because Francis Chan wrote it, so therefore it must be good!). Today, I was struck by these words that he wrote:

“’I told you! I told you it would be worth it!!! This is unbelievable!!!!!!!’  I imagine shouting that one day when I see Lisa and my kids in heaven. They will no longer be my wife and kids, but we will love each other more than ever. I picture myself looking them in the eyes and saying ‘I told you He would come through! I knew He would be true to His promises. I knew that every sacrifice would be worth it. This is insane! He is amazing!’

That is the perfect ending for me. That’s what I consider my ‘happily ever after.’ So now I work backwards- what can I do today to ensure that my story ends that way? We should all make decisions based on hindsight. Picture yourself standing before God at the moment of your death, looking back on your time on earth. At that moment, what will you regret? What will you cherish? Now, what would your life be like if you made your decisions on that basis? We can be sure that we are heaven-bound if we trust Jesus. But God blesses us even further- He promises to reward any sacrifices made lovingly for his kingdom (Mark 10:28-30).”

What does your “happily ever” look like? You never hear a story end with “the girl died and lived happily ever after.” Why not? What if in death we do find “happily ever after?” My story is about far more than just having a good marriage and, God willing, someday great children. Marriage is just one of the many things that God blesses us with, it’s not the ultimate thing that will bring us the most joy and happiness in life.

Imagine the best day that you’ve ever had, how does it make you feel remembering it? Now, close your eyes and picture yourself in your favorite place. For me, that would be at the beach or in the mountains of Haiti. Now, imagine standing before God in heaven one day (although I doubt we’ll be standing, more like throwing ourselves down at his feet). Our best moments and greatest day pales in comparison to what we will one day experience. My hope and prayer for myself and all those reading this is that we will hear God himself tell us when we die “Well done my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master” (Matthew 25”21). That would be my “happily ever after.”