Thursday night I officiated a wedding, and talked about marriage by referencing something that happened when I went to the bride's house for premarital counseling with her and her fiancé:

When the counseling session was over and I was about to leave, the bride asked me if I saw the flowers in her front yard. I told her I didn't see a single flower coming in.

When I walked out the front door, there was a full spread of brightly-colored flowers that I had totally missed when I first got there. There could have been at least 60-70 of them. They were impossible to miss, unless you weren't looking.

At the wedding I told the couple at the altar (and the couples in the audience) that my experience can happen just as easily in marriage. It's possible for us to stop seeing the good, beautiful, and pleasant because we're either not looking for it or are focused on the things we interpret as bad, irritating, or terrible.

Here's what was true that day: the flowers were there, and I missed them.

Here's what's true in my marriage, and likely yours to whatever degree: the flowers (the good, beautiful, and pleasant) are there.

But, we've got to intentionally look for them so we don't miss them.

Do you see the flowers? 🌸

Kevin