30 years .... A love of grace

If you have the pleasure of meeting my parents, Russell and Melonie, you will be blessed. They live extraordinary lives and have a marriage like few others.  Here is their story…

In August of 1977, a beautiful blonde, we will call her Melonie, moved across the country to the small town of Hartsville South Carolina. Leaving her high school in Arizona friends, Melonie was not too pleased with this decision and firmly decided she would never marry a Southern man, which meant that any South Carolina boys were out of the running.  Haha, what she didn’t know was that she wasn’t really in charge of this decision either and that the Lord had great things in store for her.  So in the coming months/years Melonie started praying that the Lord would bring her a Godly husband. In the meantime she started taking classes at Florence Darlington Tech and working in the Registrar’s Office.

Russell, a southern boy, native from Florence South Carolina began attending Florence Darlington Tech and taking classes to complete an engineering degree.  A mutual friend tried to point out the dark haired country boy with a beard to the former military brat, she was completely oblivious. Russell may have even stopped by the Registrar’s Office more than 1 time to borrow pens. When he shaved his beard, the story quickly changed..... Melonie noticed him and well, he kept noticing her :D  

Still choosing love ....

Melonie grew up attending church with her family out west and was saved at a church camp in middle school. Russell grew up attending the Episcopal Church and went to First Baptist Church, Columbia, SC where he was saved in college.  Out of all the decisions these two could have made, the individual decisions to believe that Jesus Christ died for their sins on the Cross, rose the 3^rd day from the grave so they could have eternal life with the Father shaped their lives the most.  

As my sister reminded me, the second most important decision that shaped their lives, not only earthly but also eternally was on September 8, 1984.   On September 8, 1984 two redeemed sinners said "I do."  On September 8, 1984 two redeemed sinners said "till death do us part" and meant it. 

My mom will willingly admit that it takes a special person to be married to her and it takes a special woman to be married to my dad. Stats prove that many men and women leave the marriage when one spouse or child gets diagnosed with a disability or other physical/emotional/mental disability.  Many difficult times come and the spouse leaves.  They both are human and sinners.  They aren't perfect but they are redeemed.

That's not true of my parents. About measly 7 years into their marriage my beautiful 30 year old mother was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).   According to worldly standards, they could have called it quits and ended their marriage.  My parents choose differently, they to continue loving each other like Christ loves the Church with a love that is as pure and blameless, as humanly possible.

Ephesians 5:25-33 

Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.

A special thanks to Bekah, for helping with this post!