Last week after waiting nearly three years, there it was. We had fallen in love with it so long ago, but now seeing it in our living room for the first time, it was tough to contain the mounting excitement inside our stomachs. We weren’t sure whether to pounce on it, squeal, or jump up and down giving each other high fives in glorious victory.
What am I talking about? Our brand new couch! It may seem a bit over-dramatic I know, but we had waited so patiently for nearly three years before finally pulling the trigger to call it our own. As I stood there staring at it proudly, it made me think of an important lesson for all couples preparing for marriage—patience.
I remember thinking when I was younger that I would get married, move into a new house, buy everything we liked to decorate it, and life would be great. The only thing is I forgot that those things take time. Sure, our parents have the house, the cars, the furniture, but we forget that they did not get all of that overnight. My parents have been working hard together for thirty-four years to be where they are today. Yet, that time factor slips the minds of most young couples as they begin to picture their perfect living situation.
While there are obviously numerous ways to buy-now-and-worry-later, that “stuff” is not worth the real cost, which can be your marriage. Before you dive head first into debt to have an instant “picture-perfect” home, consider the fact that what really makes a home is not what is in it, but who is in it. In Galatians 5:22, we are told that patience is part of the fruit of the Spirit. This past week, as we finally got our new couch, we realized the value of patience. Not only did we appreciate our couch so much, but we were able to enjoy it as a couple who had worked hard and waited patiently together for this joyous … and relaxing … arrival.
