I bring with me a friendship, a warm night’s soft embrace,
A heart full of passion, a smile upon my face.
I bring you respect and honor and caring
To walk there beside me with both our hearts sharing
I bring you compassion and prayers for life
My partner, my best friend, my soul mate, my wife.
I bring ribbons of joy to tie up your hair
Reminding you always that I will be there.
I bring a necklace of hope to brighten your days
And a promise to be there in so many ways.
I bring rays of sun to make your days shine
And a heart that is yours till the end of all time.
I bring a hand of fellowship with which to comfort you;
If someone should whisper otherwise, it simply is untrue.
I bring you a love that still makes my heart soar
If you searched the world over, no one could love you more.
I bring you my heart and soul and place them in your care;
If all your dreams come true, my love, then God has heard my prayer.[/pullquote4]I had only been saved for a few years, but had already begun to pray and asked the Lord to send me a woman of God who was filled with faith and love. At the same time, thousands of miles away, an Armenian woman in the Soviet Union had been praying to meet a blonde haired, blue-eyed American preacher who would visit Russia, meet her, marry her and bring her to America so that they could travel the world together and share the gospel. Happily, on November 14th, both our desires and dreams became a reality after we had literally fallen in love with each other in our dreams long before we had ever met. Through infinite divine miracles, God found a way for us to correspond, meet and marry in Russia. The nine items in the “I Bring” poem on the previous page were the promises I made to Anoosh while we endured a seemingly endless one-year wait for her to be granted her release from the former Soviet Union.
Our marriage has withstood the test of time, not because either of us did everything right, but because we long ago determined that divorce was not an option and praying together would be of paramount importance in our lives. We have had our share of bumps, but we have always read, prayed and fasted together while willing to go the extra mile to ensure a healthy marriage. Won’t you consider sitting down this week and writing out a list of “I Bring . . .” to your mate, letting them know how much you love and care for them? It could just change your lives and marriage forever!
So Jacob worked seven years to pay for Rachel. But his love for her was so strong that it seemed to him but a few days (Genesis 29:20).
When hope is hungry, nothing satisfies it more than a good marriage and Godly
relationships built on trust, love and mutual respect.
