Sacred History

I just finished reading this marriage book last night (thanks for letting me borrow it Christina). I was a bit hesitant to read it because I thought it was going to be too deep for me, since I’m just getting back into the practice of reading with any sort of consistency. I was right, it was pretty deep, BUT I loved it. I liked that it challenged me. I liked that I wanted to read it with a pen in hand so I could focus and write down things I’d never thought of before. I liked that the author shared lots of stories and quotes from history. In his words, he writes to be “recapturing the contemporary relevance of old ground that has been forgotten.” That’s just cool, at least in an “I was an English Minor and I like classical literature” sort of way.

There is much I could say about this book (I wrote down 5 pages of quotes.) A friend of mine asked me jokingly, “Shouldn’t you have read that book 8 years ago, BEFORE you got married?” Yes, I suppose I should have, but honestly I think I’ll be figuring out this whole marriage relationship thing for the rest of my life, just like I continue to learn more things about my faith, my God, even myself. And it’s never too late to breathe new life, new commitment, new passion into a relationship, especially the marriage relationship.

One thing I do want to share though, is a notion the author shares called “Sacred History.” I think it’s powerful stuff, and especially powerful for those of you who like to scrapbook. He encourages readers to tell their marital story as much as possible, and especially to each other. The longer you stay in your relationship, the more stories you have to tell to each other. The more your story is implanted in your brain the more it can serve as a hedge against forces that seek to destroy your marriage. When you think about all the history you have with your spouse, all that you’ve battled, all that you’ve fought for, all that you’ve celebrated and grieved, all that you’ve come through together, it’s harder to want to give up on such a relationship. The more you remember your history together, the more sacred it becomes…and the sacredness of your relationship will cause you to fight for it.

Scrapbookers are all about documenting their stories. What a beautiful testament these creative layouts can be to the richness of your marriage. Your marriage stories are worth remembering, celebrating, honoring. They are worth being transformed into “legend” in your own home.