… when you wake up, and the sun does not appear, I will be here. – S. Curtis Chapman
Words in our wedding song. A song DW had chosen.
The other day I as I was rocking Nashy baby in the chair, I was also searching for an instrumental album in my iTunes library.
Apple really needs to make it easier when organizing the library. I play this album almost every night and I feel like I have to scroll past foreign countries just to get to it. {Eye roll}
Anyway… as I passed by every album in library land trying to reach the one I wanted, I noticed our wedding song. I had forgotten that I bought it.
I don’t know if anyone finds their wedding song to be as precious as I do mine. People never talk about it. I put that beauty on repeat and as I listened to it the first time, I think I realized something that I had not in 2007.
A promise. Have you ever had anyone make you a promise?
I feel like this word is used so loosely. TOO loosely. Words like truth, love, friend, best friend (someday I’ll give my thoughts on that guy, lol) and, “I promise” so carelessly tossed around like it’s, can I say…disposable? I can’t think of another word, does it make sense to you if I say that?
Disposable. No weight carries with it. The absence of authenticity.
A promise. A declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing WILL happen.
I guess I was so caught up in the big day that maybe I never took time to think about the words to the song…or maybe I had and now 14 years of marriage later, here I am with new thoughts and feelings.
He made me a promise. A promise that he’s kept.
Do we disagree? Of course…have you met Dave? Lol. He’s one of the most controversial conversation starters I’ve ever known. Lol. He really just like to pick people’s brains and get them thinking (and talking). He means no harm by the fight you think he has picked with your brain. Hahaha.
We fight like everyone else. We don’t call each other names or curse or throw stuff (me, anymore…hahaha) but, we still fight. I still wanna rip his head off sometimes and I can guarantee he’d like to flush me down the toilet on certain days. We fight. We fight good too.
But, it’s not about how well we fight. It’s how well we make up. How well we do apologies. How well we forgive.
He has kept his promise regardless of our marital spats because the promises we make aren’t contingent upon whether or not we can always get along. Promises are made with a sincere declaration and assurance that we will follow through with what we say. Those promises are made before God, no matter what the promise is, He is there when we make it.
Now I’m not talking about things like, “I promise you I’m gonna punch you in the nose” and then ya gotta follow through with it because God was there when you said it and you have to keep your word. Lol. Most of you know that’s not what I meant but, I had to say it just in case people like my little sister says, “you said…”, and she would! Lol.
There’s a reason why broken promises hurt so much. They’re not meant to be broken. So, that leaves us with two very wise pieces of advice. Don’t make promises we can’t keep and follow through on the promises we’ve made. It’s not just about marriages. We make promises that lack the intent to follow through.
I hope this resonates with you like it did me. It was a nice reminder that I need to be careful about the promises I make but, to also remember the beautiful promises made to me that were kept. With all the ugly in the world, it’s nice to know the ones we hold so close to us don’t just love us, but that we mean enough for them to keep their promises…even if we don’t deserve them all the time, wink wink.
I leave you with two things: the lyrics to my wedding song because the promises are beautiful and, a word from our Dad.
Mangia bene, ridi spesso, ama molto,
Jennie B
I will be here- Stephen Curtis Chapman
🎶Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the sun does not appear
I… I will be here
If in the dark we lose sight of love
Hold my hand and have no fear
Cause I… I will be here
I will be here
When you feel like being quiet
When you need to speak your mind
I will listen
And I will be here
When the laughter turns to crying
Through the winning, losing and trying
We’ll be together
Cause I will be here
Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the future is unclear
I… I will be here
As sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetimes are made for years
So I… I will be here
I will be here
You can cry on my shoulder
When the mirror tells us we’re older
I will hold you
And I will be here
To watch you grow in beauty
And tell you all the things you are to me
I will be here, hmmm
I will be true to the promise I have made
To you and to the One who gave you to me
I will be here
And just as sure as seasons are made for change
Our lifetimes are made for years
So I… I will be here
We’ll be together
I will be here🎶
The entire Bible is filled with Gods promises and it is sealed with the highest authority, the Word of God.
“For when God made a promise to Abraham since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself.” Hebrews 6:13