Fifteen Years of Marriage

Fifteen years ago, on June 24th, I was passionately in love and walking down the aisle of Southside Baptist Church to marry the object of my love and affection. Mike was the ideal marrying man. I remember telling my mom before we dated, before either of us was even available to one another, that Mike was the kind of guy I wanted to marry. I had no idea he would actually be THE ONE! I just knew he had every characteristic I would want in a future husband.

When I reflect back on those days, I see God’s hand working it all out so perfectly, even though I had no idea what a great gift He was putting together for me. I did not deserve a man as incredible as Mike, but God saw things differently and brought us together.

We both became “available” just days before my brother, who was also Mike’s roommate, married his bride. The atmosphere of a wedding was perfectly romantic, setting the stage for a beautiful relationship to begin. And it did! I’ll spare all the mushy details, but very quickly, we found ourselves in love and committed to one another. A few months later, we were engaged, and over a year later, we were married.

Did I truly understand “love” then? To some extent, I did. I knew how I felt, and I was crazy about my man. I was also committed to my marriage and making it work. But over the years, I have learned more about love, and it has less to do with the way someone feels about another and more to do with the selfless actions exhibited towards that person.

True love is not always easy, especially when a couple is overworked, away from each other, or struggling financially. We have experienced these tough times, but love has never failed. We have a thriving marriage and I have no doubt that we will continue to spend our lives together, loving one another.

I attribute our fifteen years of happiness (and all that may follow) first and foremost to our commitment not to one another, but to our God. We love the Lord and make Him the priority in our lives. We abide by His principles for marriage and understand our equal, yet unique roles as husband and wife. I feel certain that if we did not have faith in God’s ways, we would be struggling in our attempts to do it our own way.

Mike and I also have many similarities, yet balance one another in our differences. We enjoy one another’s company and like doing things together. Mike is my best friend, greatest confidant, most prudent advisor, and our family’s provider and protector. I respect him, trust him, have fun with him, and am proud of him. He is a great father, son, brother, uncle, and of course, husband.


Fifteen years ago we were young and in love. Today, while our youth is fading away, our love is only growing greater, and I couldn’t be more thankful to God for bringing us together.


“..but the greatest of these is love. Pursue love.”
1 Corinthians 13:13b-14:a