Only God could have put our family together like he did. I met my husband as a giggly, spunky middle school girl on the church bus. Out of the blue a good looking boy came up to me and held a can of coke over my head and threatened to pour it. I didn’t care if he was the pastor’s son, with evil eyes I defiantly dared him to, and by gollies, he poured that ice cold coke right on my head! The next few years we pranked each other, made fun of each other and acted our immature age. But then we grew up and fell in love with each other dating all through high school and college.
Our love was true but I never thought we could be a married couple because he was preparing to be a Pastor and I didn’t have a musical bone in my body. Ironic isn’t it – with a first name like Melody? When I say no musical ability I mean nothing. In tears one night I confessed to my soon to be husband something horrible. Revealing this secret would probably end our engagement. I worked up the nerve to tell him that I had faked my way through all four years of youth choir at church. While I looked like I was belting out hymns in the Alto section like a potentially good pastor’s wife, I was actually lip syncing “watermelon”. I did this for four straight years just so I could spend an extra hour with that cute boy on the bus every Sunday afternoon. And I’m not even kidding a tiny bit. Not one single half note, whole note or treble clef came out of my mouth all those years.
The good news is Randy assured me he wasn’t marrying me for my musical or lack of musical ability. He was marrying me. Just plain ole me. If I could sing the Hallelujah Chorus all in one breath I’d do it but read the above and just know I was overwhelmed with unsung joy.
We dated all through high school and college and then had a fairly tale wedding except that part where the air conditioning broke and all 600 of us sweated our way through sweltering ceremonial bliss.
Newlywed life was epic. Those were the days of tiny apartment living when tiny living wasn’t a thing. But we didn’t know the difference. Christmas was the best ever during those days. We would drag our bedroom mattress into the living room and put it under the Christmas tree so we could sleep under the tree lights. We had parties and invited more people than we had space for but we didn’t care. They didn’t either. Kenny G and John Tesh could be heard blaring on any given day on hand me down speakers that were almost as big as our apartment. We both had jobs that paid the bills and we found a church family we adored and life was good. Soon Randy completed his MA in Pastoral Studies and we started a church in a small rural town. Those were both incredibly hard and incredibly awesome days all at the same time.
It was also during this time that we walked the painful journey of infertility and miscarriage. My heart remains sensitive to those who have or are walking this road as well. And if you find yourself reading these words right now and you are on that IF road please feel free to contact me and allow me the joy and privilege of praying for you on your journey. I’d be delighted to. Prayer and trust in our good God is what got us through those dark days of infertility. He will get you through as well.
God led us to two beautiful children through adoption. A son and a daughter. Adoption has been such an amazing reflection of God’s sovereignty and grace. At its core adoption is a picture of the Gospel and we see this through our family coming together. We are huge advocates of adoption and would also love to pray for you if you find yourself on this journey as well.
Today we find ourselves about to celebrate 25 years of marriage. It seems like yesterday we were on that old church bus fighting over a coke. A lot has happened in 25 years. We’ve pastored 2 churches. Lost loved ones including a parent. We adopted two children. Moved to a new State. Traveled to New Zealand and so much more. Here’s what I know to be true in all the things our 25 years have brought us: God is faithful. The effects of sin will always impact us individually and as a world. But God is sovereign and he is good. And those two truths make living in a sinful world, without losing your joy, possible.
Like you, I don’t know what tomorrow holds but I do know who holds my future.