Last weekend, it was our 6th wedding anniversary. On Saturday, we drove down to Padstow, to go out on a little rig to watch the seals and sea birds. It was so much fun going out on the water skimming across the waves in pretty big swell at times, and then stopping in the shelter of the cliffs where the seals like to go. Back in Padstow, we had an ice cream and listened to a musician playing Cornish folk songs, and then on our way back, we ate sandwiches looking out to sea at the magical Tintagel. Sea air always does my soul good, and that day was no exception. It was a quiet celebration, but one that was full of deep contentment.

6 years sounds like quite a lot to me! My twenties have flown by, especially since we got married. A lot has changed in our lives and the world around us since then, and life has certainly not turned out how we expected, but I realised as I reflected the other day, that fundamentally, life is good. There is so much that I’m grateful for, and I love that God has worked good out of every up and down we’ve faced. I think I’m learning that there will always be struggle and pain and there will always be the good things too. I’m learning that it’s better to live life with vulnerability and openness and warmth, not shying away from pain or joy but living through it, growing through it and praying through it.

Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God’s Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That’s why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

Romans 8: 26-28