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Dear San Marco Church Family: This past Tuesday, Colleen and I celebrated 30 years of marriage. We will be taking some time away to reflect upon this milestone. I am very grateful that God brought us together all those years ago, and I believe that our love for each other has grown stronger over the years as we have endured many hardships and challenges together. The words of Proverbs 31:10 resonate with me, “A truly good wife is the most precious treasure a man can find. Her husband depends upon her, and she never lets him down.” Common English Version. A few years ago I read an interesting article in which the author stated that marriage is one of God’s most effective tools in sanctifying human beings. His theory was that we see ourselves most clearly through the eyes of a spouse, especially when that person has known and lived with us for some time. Our spouse knows our virtues, our temptations, and even how we respond to the initiative of God’s grace in our lives. A good spouse will encourage us when appropriate, but will also speak hard truths to us when we need it. We all need that honest connection with someone who loves us enough to keep us grounded. I am grateful that I have a wife who does that for me. I also understand that not everyone has this relationship treasure. Many people in our world have experienced difficult and even abusive relationships. For many, cynicism may replace any hope of beneficial relationships. However, I have found that even more important than my relationship with my wife is my relationship with God in Christ. That relationship will outlast all other earthly relationships. And the basis of that relationship is God’s unconditional love for us. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” Common English Version. Wow! This passage makes it clear that we are completely dependent upon our relationship with Jesus for everything. The good news is that when we are struggling and all we have is Christ, it is then that Christ is all we need! Abiding in Christ means pacing our lives so that we have an ongoing dialogue with the Holy Spirit and that we seek the Spirit’s guidance in all that we say and do. It is my prayer that we all can abide with Christ, one day at a time. Thank you for the ongoing privilege of serving as your pastor! Steve Hart
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