"I can't LIVE without you!"

When my husband and I first started dating I had turned my life over to the Lord, I literally stood on the back porch of my parents house and said, with my eyes facing the sun, "I can't do it, I can't do any of it, I need you to take over and guide me."
And I tell you what, he did. Ask and ye shall receive right!

So there were many parts of our relationship that weren't typical dating etiquette but they were just what both us needed to KNOW that this was the right choice. The eternal choice.

"I can't live without you!"

How romantic right? When someone tells you this you just melt with a big blushing AWWWHHHHHH! BUT . . . I tell you what, if this is a TRUE statement, not just a romantic blurb of words . . . beware. I have been there, where someone truly claims to not be able to live without you. While this may be fine and dandy as long as you want to be with them . . . but imagine this . . . you don't. Not because they aren't a good person, not because they aren't worth your love, but because the person you have become when you are with them is not the person the Lord wants you to be and in order to get back on track you must remove yourself from the entire lifestyle you have been living.

When I first meet my husband I had just come out of a long relationship in which my life and spirituality took backseat to the needs and wants of another person. Our relationship had become unhealthy for both of us and we both needed to move on and seek out happiness.

One of the best things my husband said to me while we were dating was this, "If we were to break up, I would be sad, but . . . I would be okay." Now, some of you may be thinking, WHAT! How romantic is that? BUT to me, it was JUST WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR! I had spent 6 years of my life with a person who HAD to be with me. Who's life may possibly come to an end if I left. This is no way to be in a relationship. So this concept that this man didn't HAVE to be with me, he WANTED to be with me. His life was just fine without me, but he felt it was better with me. He individually was a stable person who knew that his happiness did not depend on another human being. I was thrilled!

I don't know why he said this, but I do . . . I know that the Lord knew I needed to know that my life didn't have to take a backseat to this man's, we could walk together.

There's a beautiful picture of two swans flying and it's titled "freely committed" (I NEED to find this picture) but it shows how they mate for life and when one is tired the other one flies in front to take the wind, and they switch back and forth, but while they may be able to take flight and leave the other swan they CHOOSE to be freely committed to one another and fly together. I love this, they are not chained together, one is not dragging the other one, they are FREELY COMMITTED. I love it.

I do have to say that now that I have been married to my eternal companion for 6 years, I do REALLY like having him around and understand that we do become ONE when we are married, but the strength and happiness that we have comes from within ourselves and through the Lord and is NOT solely dependent on the actions of another person.

I am FREELY COMMITTED, now that's romantic!