At times, I feel very uncomfortable appreciating a couple.

Because I know imperfections and deficiencies exist in even the most perfect of relationships.

How can I be quiet when one couple reaches 21 years of marriage?
How can I be silent when my parents fulfill 21 years of matrimony?

To me, I daresay it is a miracle.

For as I grow up, I become more aware of how difficult it is to maintain healthy relationships. The more I grow up, the more grateful I am to come from a still-united family.

Flesh alone could not reach such an accomplishment. Flesh alone could not have weathered the storms, sailed the disappointments, and voyaged through the great hardships which all married couples are struck with. My parents married each other young, immigrated to a new country which they knew not, and have committed their lives to Jesus.

And I know that though these elements cause issues, these same elements are the nutrients which fortify and nurture their relationship into its present-day state.

Today, I am confident that my parents will be able to shoulder coming conflict and change. Not because I trust their flesh or because they are perfect, but because I take confidence in the way the Spirit of Jesus has led them so far.

You know, I feel like there are plenty of everyday miracles around us which we miss out on because we do not acknowledge them as such.

The new born baby.

The affectionate girlfriend’s eyes.

The daily I-forgive-you’s.

These are miracles which in my mind have come to life by the provision of God.

Yes, I daresay, God Himself uses His life giving power to breathe these miracles into existence. Like the flowers of the fields and the birds of the air, there is much which is sustained and taken care of not by man, but by the generous and caring hands of the Father.

And though I feel uncomfortable with every relation’s imperfections, I do not feel uncomfortable in any way saying to my parents today,

Thank you for being the instruments of God’s blessings to me, to my brother, and to many others. Your relationship is not perfect. But as long as it is committed to Jesus, what you two do for me is beyond words and beyond understanding.
Like the mystery of life, I am wide eyed with wonder as I enjoy the fruits of this miracle: your long marriage.

Felicitaciones, mama y papa. Los amo a los dos. Mantenganse fieles. :)