Sometimes I’m like, “I married her…I married Niecy Hogg (my wife’s maiden name).” I am like “WOW!” Today is our 12th wedding anniversary, and I am a blessed man. We’ve had our ups and downs, but I can say without a doubt, marriage is the bomb!
For those that know both me and my wife, and especially those who knew me back in the day, you can probably understand what I am about to say. I never thought I’d get married, and marriage never seriously crossed my mind. So for me to say, “I am celebrating 12 years of marriage,” and truly mean celebrating is huge. And for me to be celebrating it with the person I am celebrating it with, is amazing!
Our story…how it all started
I have known my wife more than half of my life. We met 20 years ago in high school. No, we were not high school sweethearts, but our meeting is pretty interesting. You see, my grandmother and her grandmother were best friends practically since birth. Born 18 days apart, next door neighbors, and they sat next to each other in church until they could no longer attend church. Her grandmother was like another grandmother to me, and vice versa.
This was in a town of 40k-45k people, yet my wife and I never met until two months before I graduated high school. And we didn’t meet through our grandmothers or any family. We all were members of the same church, but never met at church either. We were introduced by a mutual friend in high school. A few years after graduating college I moved to Indianapolis and knew two people. My friend/former high school basketball teammate, and my future wife.
Why I married her
The featured image of this post is one of my favorite pics of my wife. So, the first and most obvious reason is she is beautiful. Looking at her eyes and seeing her smile still does something to me to this day. She also is the most true, most caring, and has the most genuine heart in a person I have ever known.
I was a knucklehead, and mostly “dated” the type of girls that date knuckleheads (so, I dated some knucklehead-ettes?). However, she was different. Her spirit was gentle, yet strong. She was quiet, yet confident. She was graceful, and bold at the same time. She was respectful, but not to be messed with. She was a mix of many amazing qualities that together had me captivated. She still has me captivated today.
Why our marriage is the B.O.M.B., and yours can be too
A few years ago, we served in a ministry at our church called The B.O.M.B. Marriage Ministry. The acronym comes from the bible verse found in Genesis 2:23,
“This is now Bone Of My Bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
That scripture says so much. It represents a level of commitment that surpasses any relationship with any other person. And it is the reason our marriage is the bomb. Your marriage may be as well, if it is not, it can be. Here is my acronym of why our marriage is the B.O.M.B. and yours can be too.
- Believers. My wife and I are believers. First, we are believers in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us and in our lives. Second, we are believers in one another. My wife is not perfect, and I am so far away from perfect it is not funny. However, through our imperfections and mistakes, we continue to believe in one another. And we feel secure in that.
- One. We are one. The verse talks about being flesh of my flesh, or one flesh. We take that seriously and live like it. If I do something to hurt my wife, I am actually hurting myself. If I do something to make my wife feel good, I am making myself feel good. We are one, and we do everything we can to preserve our oneness.
- Make love. A marriage post without mentioning making love, or having sex, is just playing. I am going to be real. A marriage without making love, is also just playing! I have heard of married folks having sex once or twice per year. We make love regularly. And staying 100% real, some of those times one of us does so even when not wanting to, just to please the other person. I learned in a marriage retreat that sex is the celebration of connecting spiritually, emotionally, and intellectually. You have to celebrate!
- Best. We truly want the best for each other. My wife is my #1 fan and supporter. Even though she knows everything about me. My faults, my fears, my weak areas. She still wants the best for me and does what she can to make it happen. And I am the same with her. If you want a B.O.M.B. marriage, work for the best of everything in each other’s lives.
I want to say Happy Anniversary to my wife! These 12 years have been amazing, and we haven’t even figured it out yet. I look forward to many more years of figuring it out with you. I love you!
Question: How can you make your marriage the B.O.M.B.? Please share in the comment section below.