On our climb up the trail to Multnomah Falls,  I did seriously consider turning back.  It sounds so lame now, but at the time it felt like I was trying to be ‘wise’.  This was not my first hike!   I remembered how it felt to become dehydrated and so weak I didn’t think I could take another step.  This had happened before, when we were hiking in Vermont.  That was also the time Steve had said he would go ahead of me and see how much further to the top.  It had seemed like forever until he returned, and I had become a little worried (and a few other things…).    Another time, I had experienced the pain of plantar fasciitis, a condition in both my heels from over-doing it while hiking in Whistler, B.C.   What if I was over-doing it again?    What if we hadn’t brought enough water?   Maybe we should just be smart, not risk it, turn back.   I remembered the pain of past experiences and did not want to go through it again.

I had a choice to make:  turn back and play it safe?   Or continue on -with the known risks – in hopes of what could be, what might be the breathtaking reward!!   I see it clearly now:  I almost gave in to the fear of ‘what if’ and nearly missed the reward of risk.   I’m so glad Steve encouraged me to take the risk, to believe the reward was worth it, and not give in to the ‘rational’ fears.

Seems like our marriage is similar:  We made an initial choice to say, “I do.”  Out of all the people in our lives, we had chosen each other.   We had chosen to to say the words, “For better or worse….” and we chose one another in great joy!

And now we have learned that marriage is not just a one time choice, but a lifetime of choosing each other – daily.   Over and over again.   Choosing to say Yes, again.   Even when we remember the difficult times and the enemy of our souls is whispering, “Remember how much that hurt last time?   It could happen again.”   Even when Self-Protection is screaming, “I wouldn’t put your heart out there again.   He may let you down.”   “She may lose it again and blast you with her anger….  Just play it safe.”   Especially then.

Especially then!   Love is a choice!  Not just a feeling!    It is a deliberate act of our will and heart to remember that this is the one whom we chose once and the one we will choose each day!   To remember that there will be mistakes made, forgiveness needed, and hurts to push through.   To keep going knowing we don’t have to protect ourselves!   Because each of us walks continuously with the Healer, He binds up our broken hearts as we go!  Because our lives are hidden in Jesus and nourished by Him, our thirsty souls can always find refreshment and restoration, even when the marriage feels like a dry and thirsty land with no water!

To choose is to have faith.  Faith that God is with us, marriage was His idea, and He will bring good out of every hard situation if we continue to choose to let Him!  To choose to invest our hearts again is to believe that the One who made us one is so FOR us, what could stand against us?   To choose each other daily is to choose to believe the best about each other, to trust the heart of the other, and to forgive the shortcomings as we go!  To choose our mate again today is to say, “YOU are worth it!  You are the one I’m sticking with!   You are the one I’d lay my life down for!   You are a wonder and a masterpiece in the making, and with God’s help, I see all the amazing things He created you to be!”  To choose is to say, “I believe in you!   The past is past, we are going up!  We are making the turn!  I’m in it for the long-haul, and I’m not going anywhere!”

To choose your man, your woman, again, is so right, so like the One who chose to give His all for us, while we were not choosing Him.  To choose to remain and faithfully love -no matter what- is to be like the One in whose image we were made.   And THAT feels like it’s worth the risk – to be ourselves, and trust God with the rest.

Today, look your chosen mate in the eye, and say it again, “I’m so glad I chose you.   I choose you again.   And I will choose you tomorrow and the next day and the day after that!  I. Choose. You.”

“For wives, this means being supportive to your husbands like you are tenderly devoted to our Lord…. And to the husbands, you are to demonstrate love for your wives with the same tender devotion that Christ demonstrated to us, his bride.”   Ephesians 5: 22, 23