In The Beauty of an Amish Romance

            On Friday one of my very best friends and I took my daughters into Amish country.  It was the last day of their Spring Break, and it seemed like a good day trip. My youngest daughter wanted desperately to ride in a buggy behind a horse.  We weren’t sure where we could take her, but on our last stop it just so happened that in the parking lot there was an enterprising Amish family who had a small petting zoo, and buggy rides. 

            Our buggy driver was a precious older Amish man named Abe.  He had a long white beard and wisdom in his eyes.  He took us around his farm.  He began point out to the farms around the area.

            “I grew up at that farm.” He pointed to a nearby building.  “My wife grew up at that one.”  He smiled and slowly I could see a smile begin to grow across his face.  “But I guess it’s that farm right there that I have such found memories of,” His eyes began to sparkle.  “My wife and I were married there, and every day I pass it and I think how blessed I really am.”  His comments and emotions were genuine and heartfelt.

            All the occupants of the buggy followed his gaze.  The picture in the distance is of this farm. 

            “How long have you and your wife been married,” My gaze went back into the buggy.  Inquisitively my friend asked him, and suddenly I noticed that his eyes were beginning to water. 

            “Almost 50 years.  We’ve had a lot of friends that haven’t made it so long with their mates.  One had gone home and such, my wife and I talk to each other every morning.  Yah, we are so blessed.” 

            Our conversation continued, but in my mind and heart I stayed back into the beauty of this man who loves his wife so much that every day he passes the place they were married and he still loves her so much that he counts his blessings as he does.  It still makes him tear up.  This kind of beautiful love is sadly rare in our culture. We are all so caught up in our own agenda’s that it seems we all have a tendency to take each other for granted.  We’ve become a society that seems to romanticize ‘one night stands’ and the ‘50 shades of something’ have seemed to infiltrate and deceive our culture.   Simply God created one man and one woman to love each other (Mark 10:9).  Yes, I know that sometimes life happens and it doesn’t always occur that way.  However just this last weekend I heard about some old friends who are calling it quits on their marriage.  I don’t pretend to know all that has gone on, I just find it sad. It’s like someone losing a part of them and them not realizing it.

            My moral of this story is clear.  Marriage is hard work, but love the one your with.  If you’re not married and you want to be then believe God for the right mate.  God has given you the grace and ability to live life together, and that is a beautiful thing.

            God has awesome plans for your life.  Get excited!