Just Hold My Hand

Yesterday was Scott’s and my eighteenth wedding anniversary. {And yes, I was a child bride! Ha!}

I can’t begin to wrap words around the depth of love I feel for this man who listened when I told him we were supposed to be together forever.

I’m reading this incredible book, A Praying Life, by Paul Miller.  The book is all about hesed, the steadfast love we see offered by God in Scripture. Miller describes hesed this way:

Sometimes hesed is translated “steadfast love.” It combines commitment with sacrifice. Hesed is one-way love. Love without an exit strategy. When you love with hesed love, you bind yourself to the object of your love, no matter what the response is … Hesed is stubborn love.” {p.24}

Love without an exit strategy.

I’m grateful to be sharing my life with someone who doesn’t have an exit strategy … with a man who meant it when he said, “I do.” There are no exclusions or clauses in our covenant. We aren’t staying together until we fall out of love or until it gets too hard. We are together no matter how we feel or even what we want some days … we are together because we made a promise. The vow wasn’t given lightly …. we held hands on June 1, 1996, and made a covenant with each other and with God.

And since then we’ve held hands through every high and low our journey has brought …

We held hands as we laughed at the unity candle — we had no idea how much joy our life together would bring.

We held hands the day we heard we’d probably never have children of our own — the sense of loss and shattered dreams.

We held hands the day Casiday was born — of hope living and breathing right there with us, a tiny wad of God’s graciousness.

We held hands the day your dad left this world for heaven — and how the years would prove how profound losing his presence would be for us.

We held hands as we moved to Georgia with a six-month-old — wondering if we were crazy.

We held hands many days and nights in the hospital — all the frustration and fear and, yet still, the faithfulness of God through every day.

All those memories and so many more, they all have one thing in common … my hand in his.

The days haven’t all been perfect. Life hasn’t always been easy. But here we are, eighteen years later, and Scott Underwood remains the man of my dreams and the keeper of my heart. I wouldn’t want to walk this road of life with anyone else.

So to my beloved Scott, whatever comes in the days ahead, whatever bumps the road may bring, whatever joys we may share … just hold my hand and we’ll face the world together!!

Just hold my hand … and know you will always hold my heart.

I love you!
Teri Lynne