The Fight For Love

I wish that love was an easy thing, but unfortunately we make it difficult sometimes. It is when one or the other of us fails to remember how our love came to be that we began dancing in a minefield. I think what Andrew Peterson is trying to put forth in his song Dancing in a Minefield is that we all make mistakes, but the One that saved us never did and that is Who we try to model our love after. Christ loved us unconditionally. So many marriages have ended because they have chosen to let there problems destroy them. I have been there too, and through those times I have come to love my wife even more. Don't let the problems that life throws at you destroy your marital union. I urge all of you out there to talk to your spouse when problems arise, and figure things out. Don't walk away from something because it is just too hard. Fight for the love that you fought for so long ago. Christ fought for us and is still doing so on a daily basis. Prepare yourself the days ahead and know that both the love of your spouse and of Christ will see you through.

I was nineteen, you were twenty-one
The year we got engaged
Everyone said we were much too young
But we did it anyway 
(I was 27, and she was 26, the year that we got engaged.)

We bought our rings for forty each
From a pawn shop down the road
We made our vows and took the leap
Now fifteen years ago 
(We did not get our rings from a pawn shop, but we got married later that year, and that has been six years ago.)

We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for

"I do" are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I've heard
Is a good place to begin
(I would not consider the last words that I ever utter as "I do". It is not the beginning of the end; it is the start of something new, and most of the time it is uncharted territory for the two individuals that have joined themselves in holy matrimony. It is the dating period before these two people even think about getting married that prepares them for a more serious relationship. I would lay my life down for my wife and kids with no questions asked.)

'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found
(The harder price to pay is only thinking of yourself in the marriage. Marriage is a union between two people. You are no longer single, and you cannot live like it. It is easier to work together as a team; than it is to go solo. I have seen so many marriages in shambles, because one of the parties involved only thought of themselves, and did not care for the needs of the other.)

And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for
(We have been through difficult times like the minefields and storms mentioned here. Christ did not say that life would be easy, but He did say that He would be there for us during those difficult times. We have made a commitment to our spouse to be there for them at all costs and in any situation. The Lord will bless those that have chosen to honor His way by getting married.)

So when I lose my way, find me
When I loose love's chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me 
(Christ is there to guide us and if we get lost, He knows where to find us. I would rather bound together with my wife and Christ, and never be loosed from those chains. I want the reminder of who I am in Christ to be ever constant.)

'Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there's nothing left to fear
So I'll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear
(It is the presence of Christ that removes all fear, and the Holy Spirit that indwells us. There are scary places that we may not want to venture into throughout our lives, but we know that we do not go it alone.)

'Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you
(Dancing in a Minefield-Andrew Peterson)
( "...for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."{Hebrew 13:5b) This is a wonderful promise from God. When life is so chaotic; remember that you have someone that loves you that will dance with you whatever the circumstances may be.)