While listening to the song “I’m Gonna Love You Through It” by The Isaacs, God took my mind to the time when I was extremely sick, in and out of the hospitals, countless doctors, tests, medicines while being told over and over there is nothing we can do for her Mr. Hoover. This is your life now. Unlike the song, I did not have cancer, but what I did have took its toil on us both as a couple and as individuals. For me as I look back, I can clearly see how Matt decided, the day we took our vows, that he would love me through it. This is an extremely serious vow/promise he entered in with me. No matter what hits us, he would be there for it all. No matter how many times he wanted to give up or didn’t see a way out; God made a way every time. Matt loves me through it all. He believes in me, in us and in God. Believe me when I say you have no idea just how bad things got for us as a couple, for us as parents, for our sons, for me and for him as individuals. God knew exactly how bad things were, He knew how bad they would get and He knew exactly what was needed to get us through. Pure, true love. There were times Matt felt like he was all alone, that he had no physical contact with others who could speak some comforting words, whom he could release it all too or who he could just visit and have some type of normalcy to this life he was living through. You see, once I became extremely over medicated I was not a wife, a mom or anything to anyone. I slept a lot. Matt had to live through this on his own….

Well not just on his own, you see, the day that Matt entered in to a relationship with God and dedicated his life to Him. God took His “vows” extremely seriously. God promised Matt that He would love him through it all. In fact, He made that promise when He sent His only begotten Son to the cross for Matt’s sins. Matt accepted that promise and to show God that he also took that promise seriously he has loved God through every single heartache, problem and tragedy in his life. No matter how hard it became God didn’t leave Matt and Matt didn’t leave God. God loves Matt beyond all of the outer attributes of his life. God sees the genuine desire of his heart, his truest of intentions as well as every battle that hits his mind. God knows he strives with genuineness. God knows he isn’t perfect but that he strives with honesty and integrity towards the mark of the high calling on his life. God knows he doesn’t use “I’m human” as an excuse towards that imperfection.

I am telling you all of this because I want you to understand that yes there are many people in this life that have that amazing spouse who loves them through all of the hardships of life. But more importantly Every One can have a relationship with God who loves them far greater than any single person. God will love you through the most grievous of times in your life. God does love you so much that He loved you while you were still in your sin, loves you beyond that sin and loves you just as sincerely if and when you choose salvation. God never stops loving you, it’s your choices of sin that He does not like nor love. God proved and revealed His pure love for you the day He sent Jesus to earth to be born as a babe, who would walk to the cross then raise from the grave on the 3rd day. God takes His promises extremely serious and He never fails nor breaks any promise. He cannot fail, lie or go back on His word. He will love you through it, but first you must accept Jesus as your Savior for you can only come unto the Father through Him. Once you’ve entered that commitment with God, He’ll walk with you through every valley, up every mountain and calm the raging sea around you. He’ll come down in the cool of the day and talk with you. He’ll hold you as you cry because heartbreak has hit your home. He’ll guide you to realms unknown if you’ll let Him. I pray that you allow God the opportunity to love you through it.

For that close net, “we are all family” type of church: you can see not only how God loves them through their problems but also their love for each other. Husband and wives taking care of one another and never giving up even when it looked like all hope was lost. They never allowed the option of death to be a reality because they loved them through it, never gave up, and they pray them through it! Wives holding up their husbands as they face illness or grave sickness; being their consistent care taker. Husbands tending to their wives needs as difficult waves of heartache hit the love of their life. Sister’s heartfelt requests for prayers for their sibling who was facing a serious issue in life. Parents crying out from the depths of their hearts for their wayward children at the altar of God. Children claiming the victory over their parents as they face the loss of their own independence, their own identity. Neighbors leaning on neighbors because knowing the elderly have no one else breaks your heart. A church raising up their pastor as he has endured a great physical fall causing harm to his body. You see we all love each other through the pain in each other’s lives because God loved us first. We bear one another’s burdens because as family members we can physical feel our loved ones pain as they make their requests known.

Lord God, I would like to say Thank You for placing Matt in my life and for his pure love. Thank You for the way You’ve shown him love, how he loves me and how we love each other through it all. He has loved me through the most tragic moments in our lives together. I pray that I show him that same love in return. Beyond his love, Lord, Thank You for Your love for Matt and I. You have loved each of us through every hardship in our lives since birth and we know You’ll be here loving us through everything that comes our way. Thank You for the love of our family who are there if we were to call them. Thank You for our church family who support one another, bear one another’s burdens and loves one another through every hardship. Thank You for the family of God, the most precious family we have the privilege to be a member of.