Keith and I marvel at how the two of us came together—and how far the two of us have come. Not so much in earthly terms, though we certainly have been blessed, but in our relationship.

This morning, when I thought about the two us twenty years ago and now, two songs, a marriage book, and scripture came to mind.

The Two of Us

Remember the 1980 song, written by Bill Withers and recorded by Grover Washington, Jr? Crystal raindrops, the sun shining through, then the chorus: Just the two of us, We can make it if we try, Just the two of us… Building castles in the sky, Just the two of us, You and I.

How about Marvin Gaye’s and Kim Weston’s 1965 hit “It Takes Two”? One can have a dream, baby, Two can make a dream so real, One can talk about being in love, Two can see how it really feels. 

Even if we try, as Keith and I did, sometimes marriages fail. And then we were one. Until it was just the two of us.

Two who came together in the Middle

“Congratulations on making it to the middle of life while married,” writes Dorothy Littell Greco in her book, Marriage in the Middle: Embracing Midlife Surprises, Challenges, and Joys, which I wrote about here. “Some of us are newlyweds, some are newly remarried, and others are celebrating thirty or even forty years together.” We’re aging; we’re caring for or losing our parents; we’re adjusting and adapting to whatever storms come our way.

Changes. Disappointments. Past traumas and mid-life losses. “Everyone who follows Jesus is eventually called into the desert,” states Greco. And yet we yearn for connection.

Greco: “According to a 2014 study done by the Pew Research Center, 67 percent of adults between the ages of fifty-five and sixty-four who have been widowed or divorced will remarry.” Those who remarry, “often feel profoundly grateful for a second chance. That gratitude enables them to extend an abundance of grace and mercy to each other.”

Keith and I are profoundly grateful for one another, for our second chance, for God bringing us together. Though we are well aware that divorce and remarriage are adulterous, the commitment to Christ in our hearts saves us from those failures. 

Two or Three gathered in His name

Now we come to the oft-quoted scripture: For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20

Standing alone, this verse seems very comforting: when we gather in the name of Jesus, He is with us. But in context, the true weight of the verse is revealed. If you back up a few verses, you’ll realize this verse is about dealing with sin, particularly within the church. Harkening back to Deuteronomy, Jesus is speaking about the two or three witnesses gathered to testify in court. 

Jesus gives us a plan for reconciliation when sin happens: talk to the person; if no repentance, take the issue to witnesses; if still no repentance, tell the church. In some ways, it’s similar to a marriage relationship: talk to one another and repent. But if there is none, others get called in, which, if there is no reconciliation, can lead to a break. 

Being keenly aware of this pattern, Keith and I talk, confess our sins to one another, repent, and pray. So, it’s never just the two of us. No matter how hard we try, we’d never make it without faith and obedience to our Lord and Savior.

Linkup with Five Minute Friday: https://fiveminutefriday.com/2024/10/03/fmf-writing-prompt-link-up-two/