Welcome! Nuestra Casa Es Su Casa ...Our house is your house

A glimpse into the life of Daniel and Jaynee Lockwood and their 12 precious blessings. Thank you for visiting; we pray that what we share here may always bring glory to our wonderful God and Saviour. May you praise the Lord with us for the great things He has done and continues to do as we serve Him sharing the gospel here in the little town of Cuidad Insurgentes, BCS Mexico. He alone is good and faithful!

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Twenty Years

 
20 years ago today, I married my very best friend! We were so young and so "in love" and full of so many hopes and dreams. I was soooo excited that day knowing that we would no longer have to say "good bye" and wait until the next day to see each other.
20 years ago today, I stood before God, my soon to be husband, our families and friends and vowed for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish till death do us part.
 During the past 20 years there have been soooooo many "better" times. The Lord is so good and gracious and has daily poured out so many of his blessings upon us.
But, like in any marriage, there have been some "worse" times. A married couple walking in the Spirit together is beautiful! A married couple walking after the flesh...whether it's one or the other or both...isn't so beautiful!
There are still a lot of birthdays celebrated today for the young and old alike, but there are not too many anniversaries and the ones that are celebrated hardly make it past the first decade.
 There isn't a whole lot of encouragement for struggling couples to stay together. Marriage vows seem to mean so little. And there are hurting and broken hearts of men, women, and children everywhere. And as our families suffer, our nation suffers.
Satan is a deceiver, a divider, a destroyer. God put man and woman in the garden and said that two become one flesh and that this is VERY GOOD. Satan says it is not good. That it is only good if that man or woman treats me that way I want to be treated and doesn't hurt me too much. And that really, what God said is good, well it would be much better if you were with someone else or by yourself. Satan says it would be better for the children, better for you...it would be so much better to not have to suffer like you have been.
 In 20 years, I have known the sheer utter misery of thinking about following my own desires. Those that seem to be so good and right.
But praise the Lord, in 20 years, I have known the most deepest, richest, wonderful joy of following God's way. I've known the peace that only comes from Him. To forgive and be forgiven. To LOVE! Not the "in love" feeling that I had on my marriage day (although that is still there too) but that deep, amazing love that only God can work in the heart of a couple that are committed to Him and to each other.
 20 years ago , I was 22 years old and woke up in the arms of my 22 year old husband.
Today, I am 42 years old and woke up in the arms of my 42 year old husband.
And it is sooooooooooooooooooo good!!!!
 Today twelve children are giddy with excitement because it's mommy and daddy's anniversary. They gave me hugs, want to know what we are going to do, want to decorate the house, celebrate with us, and it brought tears to my eyes when one of them said, "I can't wait to have what you and daddy have together".
It hasn't been easy, but it's been soooooooooooooo very good!!!!

22 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary!!! :) What a joy to be married to ones BEST friend. What a blessing to be able to grow together with our spouse. The years have a way of flying by.

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  2. Congratulations Daniel and Jaynee! As a reader of many years, this post brought me such joy! May God continue to use your marriage for His glory!
    PS Your photos are beautiful! :)

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  3. Happy Anniversary! May God continue to bless your marriage and give you many more years together!

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  4. Congratulations Daniel and Jaynee!! I have been praying for you as the Lord brings you to mind. May God continue to bless and heal.

    Cindy

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  5. Happy Anniversary!!! God is good, through the mountain tops and the valleys!!! Beautiful and encouraging post...with beautiful pictures too :). I am printing that last one for our wall :). Miss you!!! Sending hugs your way. Next month we celebrate 21 years and I enter my last year in my 30's!!!

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    1. Are you still blogging? I have read your blog for quite a few years and was so sad to see it had gone private. Is there a way to contact you to be able to read it? My email is the11ofus @ charter . net. (broken to avoid spam) God Bless, Katherine

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  6. That was beautiful Jaynee! You are so right. So many don't make it. It's hard at times, heartbreaking too. But as you said there is JOY that only the Lord can give and that's so very GOOD!!

    Thank you for sharing you heart. Miss you~

    ~Cinnamon

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    1. Cinnamon, I failed to sign up to continue as a "reader" when you made your blog private. Is there still a way to have access to your blog? Thank you for sharing your wealth of encouragement over the years! Jamie (jamieb@3rivers.net)

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  7. Happy Anniversary Beautiful pictures

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  8. Oh so good to see a post! Congratulations. Your husband truly has found a good thing!! Miss you! Love you.

    Jessica

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  9. Congratulations!!!
    It's almost our 20th anniversary as well... we've had our share of ups & downs too... in the end, God is always faithful!

    ~Hannah

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  10. Bless you, Jaynee. And bless your marriage with Daniel. Happy anniversary! Next month we'll celebrate 37 years. Marriage isn't always easy and you're right, it's tempting to give in to our wants. But oh so much better to do it God's way!

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  11. How are all the children doing

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  12. I am so happy to have seen this post. I am so happy to see you two are staying together, going through the hard times and persevering through Christ. Praise God!!! Keep on course. Don't look back. The Lord is being shown through all of this. : ) He still has plans for you....

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  13. Such a wonderful testimony to marriage. May God continue to bless you Jaynee and Daniel for praising Jesus through the storms! I hope you will be back a bit more regularly. You are an encouragement to so many.

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  14. LOVE this!!! Happy Anniversary!!! 20 years and wishing you 20 + 20 more!!!!!
    Thank you for updating . . . still praying . . . still walking beside you . . .
    Blessings, Misty in NC

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  15. Thank you for your family's testimony. It is such an encouragement!! Jamie

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  16. We're a couple years younger than you and had our 21st anniversary in July. We have been through so much over the years, so many things that anyone would have advised us to just give up on each other and get out! But with God's help when you can get through the things, it is so precious to stay together and God willing grow old together. Thank you for sharing this and I think of you and pray for you still.

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  17. Your blog post is so lovely! And Happy (belated) Anniversary! You are such an encouragement and example of a godly wife and mother ... and I don't say this to make you feel boastful or proud, as I know your spirit is humble. But know you are setting a beautiful example for others in their marriage and motherhood.

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  18. How is all your family doing are you still home schooling Hope you are all well and happy

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  19. Praise the Lord and happy anniversary!

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  20. Praying that you are well this Christmas!

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