“What Marriage Looks Like to Me” By Jessica Daly – My Daly Outreach
"Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." Mark 10:9
This June my parents, Judy and Charles Taylor, celebrate 46 years of marriage. To the world in which we live today, that number seems nearly impossible as the divorce rate continues to climb and as the culture we live within continues to embrace “living together” and “other” types of relationships. As I read the Word of God, it tells me that God alone ordains marriage and it is a religious and sacred covenant, which should not be entered into without serious thought.
I love the fact that as a child growing up in our home, I was able to compare what my parents’ marriage looked like to God’s definition. I saw my Daddy respect and honor my Mama by working hard to provide for our family and always showing her affection. In turn I witnessed my Mama give my Daddy head over our household through reciprocated respect and devotion. In other words, their example was to take care of your spouse and put them before yourself.
It’s pretty obvious to me that when my parents took their vows in a beautiful little white church on a hot June day they actually understood they were not only promising each other the words they were saying, but God himself. I have seen my parents stay together through sickness and health, for better and for worse, and also with little or with much. They have not only kept these wedding day promises to one another but they have kept them, more importantly, to their Lord.
Watching them over the past 42 years, I have never doubted their love and commitment for one another because of the way they continue to speak to one another, look at each another, and even laugh at and with one another. I have observed my parents work as a team in all situations during their many years together. I saw them care for their parents through sickness and death, care for my family when Brian and then Taylor both needed them, and more recently be there for one another as they have both faced cancer.
My favorite thing about my Mama and Daddy is that they are best friends. They love spending time together but they also give each other space to be individuals. They have never tried to change one another and accept the other for the person God created them to be. Do I believe they were meant to be together? Do I believe in soul mates? You bet I do! And if you ever want proof, just sit down and ask my parents to tell you the story of how they met and fell in love and watch their faces. After they are finished telling this 46-year-old story, I can assure you there will be no room left for doubt.
Publisher Note: Jessica Daly is a native of Wayne County and currently resides in the Lynchburg, Va. She is a graduate of Eastern Wayne High School and East Carolina University where she has earned a BS in elementary education as well as her Master’s Degree in Library Science. Jessica is married to Brian Daly, a native of Wayne County for 16 years and they share a daughter, Taylor who is 12 years old. Jessica began My Daly Outreach Ministries, a ministry dedicated to caregivers, in January 2011. The ministry consists of an online website, www.mydalyoutreach.com, a published book entitled “Brian’s Update” and inspirational speaking across the country bringing awareness to forgotten caregivers. Jessica is now the Coordinator of Research & Instruction for Liberty University.
