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The Proposal


“Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together.”

I stared at the words.  They hadn’t changed a bit over the years nor had their meaning for me.  I suppose I hadn’t really expected them to change, nor did I want them to.

The small, dull ache that ate at my heart was expected.  I had grown accustomed to its visits of late, coinciding with the times I read those words.  I would rather this visitor didn’t come – its presence invariable indicated that something was not quite right.

Those words, found in Psalm 34:3, were part of a proposal I had made some years ago.  It was not the type made in a board room before stockholders, business associates or executives.  The proposal I had was to the woman I wanted to marry.  “Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt His name together!”  The words were the foundation of the hopes and desires I had for our future lives together.

Cheryl accepted my proposal!  We had the words printed on our wedding invitation – a public commitment to the direction we wanted our marriage to take.

We were married on May 26, 1984.  The words that were then the foundation of my proposal and the commitment of our hearts, also became something by which we could measure how we were doing.

That small, dull ache in my heart – that visitor that indicates something is not quite right – is a reminder from the Holy Spirit that I/we could be doing better.  He typically points to specific areas in which we could grow together – like finances, future goal and intimacy.

As uncomfortable as it may be at times, I’ve come to reluctantly welcome this dull ache.  Cheryl and I could have played it “safe” and made few or no serious commitments.  That way there would have been nothing to fail in, or grow in, or work at.  After all, when you aim at nothing, you usually hit it…

But those words from Psalm 34, printed on our wedding invitation, framed and hung on our wall, hold us accountable to something good, something to strive for, something that pleases God.


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