Something Worth Celebrating

In today’s’ world I am a bit of an abnormality. That’s right; I guess you could say that I am a freak of nature in Stockholm Sweden. I have been a part of something for the last 30 years that, according to the statistics one observes, is bound to end in failure. I belong to a dying breed of people that don’t often make it into the news because many people are simply not interested in us and many don’t think we even exist. To many people I am a dinosaur that once roamed the earth but has now become extinct. So now I hope I have made you curious. Can you guess what I am??? Are you ready for the answer? Here it comes!

I am a happily married man!

Now here comes the even bigger shock. The shock that makes some of the young people I meet in Vårberg shake their heads in amazement. Are you ready for shock number two?

I have been happily married to the same woman for 30 years!

Kristina and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary on June 11th 2007. We married when we were both 21 years old and we have chosen to love each other and enjoy each other’s company for the last 30 years. I use the phase, “we have chosen…” because I think that it is very important.

There are two things that I must "choose" if I am to live a happily married life. First I must choose to love. I believe that love is a choice, not just a feeling. It is something that a man and a woman must decide that they will do if they are to stay together through all of life’s problems. And if I am right and love is a choice that I must make than it is also something that I must constantly work on. In other words I cannot just leave it on the shelf as a decision that I made once and for all 30 years ago. Just like muscles that are not constantly exercised get weak and flabby, so to our love must be exercised if it is to last. I must choose to love every day and in every situation and not just every now and then. Now do I do this? Do I always love like I should? No! I fail. Not only do I fail but my wife also fails. We both fail to love like we should in every situation.

This brings me to the second choice that is important if a marriage is to last. We must choose to forgive when our partner does not love like they should. Just like love is something that must be exercised if it is to be strong so to forgiveness is the same. When I am not loved like I should I have basically two choices, to forgive or walk away. People walk away from marriage every day. This is the easy way out that causes unbelievable pain. To love and forgive is not easy, both love and forgiveness are gifts from God that He willing bestows on those who ask. Love and forgiveness are two attributes of God that He exercises everyday with us and He wants us to do so with others.

For a good definition of love look in the New Testament at 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. For a good definition of forgiveness look at 1st Peter 2:21-23.