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Today marks 22 years of marriage for us. 22 years! Today’s post is a Superman-themed post that is just about as cheesy as the movie itself. You’ve been warned.
Like any respectable child who grew up in the eighties, I grew up wearing capes, jumping off things, and praying for the superpower of flight. I watched the Superman movie and sequels starring Christopher Reeve hundreds of times.
Perhaps you remember this classic “damsel in distress” scene from the first Superman movie. Lois Lane (Margot Kidder) finds herself dangling from the open door of a helicopter. She’s desperately clinging to a seatbelt as the helicopter—which is precariously stuck atop a skyscraper—begins leaning over the edge. Slowly, her grip gives way until she can’t hold on any longer. The seatbelt dramatically slips from her hands, and she begins a long, screamy plummet to her doom. Cue the greatest superhero background music ever created (thanks, John Williams). Clark Kent quick changes into Superman, springs into action, swoops in out of the sky, and catches a falling Lois Lane. He looks at her shocked face and says, “Easy, miss. I’ve got you.” Lois Lane replies, “You’ve got me!? Who’s got you!?”
My wife and I were given some wise advice early on in our marriage. Here’s the gist of it: put your faith, hope, and trust in God more than you put your faith, hope, and trust in your spouse. God will always be able to lift you up when you are falling. Your spouse is human. So, regardless of how absolutely wonderful he or she is, your spouse makes a terrible God and a terrible savior. There’s a family hierarchy that must be adhered to. God first. Spouse second. Kids third. Mess up that order, mess up your marriage. If I’m falling out of a helicopter ala Lois Lane, and Careese says, “Easy, sir. I’ve got you,” and her answer to my follow up question of “You’ve got me? Who’s got you?” is “you,” we’re in trouble. We’re going to hit the ground hard. I’ve gotten more than a few bumps and bruises along the way from messing up the aforementioned hierarchy. When we both put God first, falling is safer.
Throughout the past 22 years of our marriage (and especially the past five years of health challenges), Careese has been my hero. Peace, happiness, joy, adventure, excitement, and hope have reigned in our marriage because, when I’m falling and reach out to her, I’ve always known the answer to the proverbial question, “Who’s got you?” I never have to ask. Her answer, even in the darkest of times, is the God of Isaiah 40:31. Her steadfast faith is a constant reminder for me to keep God first as well. I can’t even begin to express how thankful I am that I get to walk through life with her, and I’m not going to try. So, I’ll stick with passing along what I’ve learned from 22 years of marriage (very much reinforced as we’ve walked together through Isaiah’s battle these last few years): the joy in our marriage and the hope we’ve had is best summed up in the two words that have become our anthem throughout this journey: but God. My wife loves me more than anyone else...but God. And, I love her too. Here’s to the rest of our lives.
Today is our 22 year wedding anniversary, so I stumbled across this with perfect timing! These are some wise words, and they ring true for us too!
Happy, happy anniversary!!!!!!