I am typing this devotion on Thursday, June 21, 2018, the day of my twenty-first wedding anniversary to the love of my life, Jason. My hubby was fortunate enough to have most of today off, so we were able to have a nice, long hike together (with Barnabas too, of course).  

As we walked and talked, we reminisced about our wedding day. Oddly enough, the very first memory we had was a mishap that took place during the lighting of the unity candle. The plan was beautiful. At the beginning of the ceremony, before the bridal party walked the aisle, each set of parents would go to the front of the auditorium, the mothers would climb to the platform and place a single candle on either side of the unity candle. Because of the logistics of walking down the aisle and having candles burning and dripping hot wax during the entire ceremony, we decided it was best to leave the candles unlit until right before the lighting of the unity candle. Easy fix, right? The preacher would pray while the best man (Jason’s dad) lit the two side candles with the lighter he kept hidden in his jacket pocket.

The ceremony was going well, and all seemed in order. The preacher began to pray, the candelabra was put in place and then we heard the “click, click, click.” Jason, the preacher, and I each opened one eye to see what was going on. The lighter wouldn’t catch. Jason’s dad continued to click, click, click the lighter while I whispered to the preacher, “Keep praying.” That had to be one of the most prolonged and awkward prayers in all of history, but in the end, the candles were lit, and the ceremony continued.

As we made our way down the hiking trail this morning, other memories—both of our wedding day and of our life together—surfaced, and we were amused to find that most of them were instances where things didn’t go according to plan. Like the rockslide that delayed our honeymoon. Or the time we used fireballs as the eyes and buttons of our snowman, which looked awesome until the snow melted, at which point, the poor thing looked like the victim of a drive-by shooting. Or the time Jason descended the Alpine Slide without the aid of a cart. Horrible things at the time, but now, those are the things etched the most vividly in our hearts and minds. Isn’t that strange?

It makes me wonder how many events and “tragedies” we face each day that will one day become fond memories. That circumstance looming over you today could be a laughing point two years from now. The hopeless situation you find yourself in could be one of the moments you look back on with tears of joy. That’s the crazy thing about tough times. It’s horrible to go through them, and while we’re in them, it seems they will last forever and that the sun will never shine again. But life goes on, and before long, those tough times are nothing more than a memory. And more often than not, they are the very things we recall because they had the most significant emotional impact on us. But we don’t remember them with feelings of hopelessness or despair but instead with lightheartedness and joy because now that we’re on the other side, we see how trivial they were.

So what if the candles wouldn’t light at the wedding? Would it have made the day any less special? 

So what if we were later than planned arriving at our honeymoon cabin? Did it ruin the trip or dampen our love?

So what if our snowman became a gory mess and frightened children to the point that Jason had to demolish it by driving over it with the car? It didn’t keep us from having a blast while building the snowman to begin with.

As for Jason’s descent down the Alpine Slide, well, it certainly taught me a lot about my daredevil husband and how I never, ever wanted to go on that deathtrap again.

I’m not trying to make light of the situation you may be facing, but would I be wrong in saying we sometimes take life too seriously? Yes, it can be cruel and unfair. Yes, we have problems. But one day, we may be thankful for all of that because it’s part of what makes life exciting and unforgettable. So, don’t think of your difficulties as working through a trial but rather as making lasting memories. After all, a little shift in perspective works wonders!