That incredible Friday, June 26, 1981, I left the church as Mrs. Rodney Alan Phillips! I could not wait for the night of becoming “Mr. & Mrs.” and now it was a reality. The ceremony was superb from the singing to the reading of 1 Corinthians 13, The Love Chapter, with the reciting of our vows thrown in; I just knew our love could survive through whatever came our way. I was 18 and he was 21, and the thought of making a home “free from disturbances” filled me with so much hope. And 1 Corinthians 13 solidified my desire for being on the receiving end of that type of sacrificial love. I fancied keeping the home while “Mr.” brought the ultimate sacrifice of warming it with that atoning adoration.

Shortly after leaving the church that night, we drove into the bay of a car wash in Kinder, Louisiana. Our car had been artistically decorated with numerous cans of shaving cream. After washing the white foam from our long Buick Electra luxury car, (my dad had graciously gifted us with) we drove out of the carwash but not before making contact with the pavement.  With a hole in our muffler, we were not going to get the “free from disturbance” experience anytime soon especially with Alabama being our final destination. But the muffler was not the only noise we were hearing. We both realized our stomachs were empty and needed to be fed. So with a roaring muffler and growling stomachs, we drove into a Sonic.

How we choose to handle the mishaps of life say much about our character. This was just the beginning for us.

“As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects man.”

Proverbs 27:19, NASB95

In my naivety and much needed character development, surviving what came our way always seemed unfair.

When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things.

1 Corinthians 13:11, NLT

I did not know what was ahead for us but many years would be given to learning where one finds “free from disturbance” living! How thankful I am that God never gives up on us!

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

1 Corinthians 13:7

God is love; love comes from God (1 John 4:7-11).