I am currently traveling back from my a long weekend with my entire family to celebrate my parents 40th wedding anniversary in Breckenridge, CO! What an honor it is to be the daughter of such a loving and committed couple, it is truly a gift from them I could never repay. It has been invaluable to my life.
They met when my mom, Kathi, was 15 and my dad, Ralph, was 18. They were married just 5-years later and have remained faithful and committed to their love these 40-years later. What I love the most, is not just that they have been married for this long, but they have actually been happily married and have showcased this affection and love to my siblings and I throughout.
For some, they might look at this 40-year success as a “miracle” in today’s society, but for our family, we know it is not some magical act of luck that has kept them thriving in marriage, but the workmanship of God.
It has been part of God’s Purpose for them to find each other, marry and grow in Him as they grew in their love. My parents simply made the decision to continue to stay Faithful to His purpose and promises in their life. They will tell us it has not always been easy to thrive in a loving marriage and family of 5.
They have had their definite challenges in the differences in personality (my mom can be a back-seat driver, my dad can be impatient) and the difficult circumstances they have faced (my mom’s breast cancer, my dad’s business closing) and at times they questioned God’s plan, like we all do.
But, they still made the decision to remain Faithful to their commitment, because they knew that God would stay Faithful to His.
As I was reflecting on their 40-years and the wonder of God’s love that has allowed them to endure and thrive, I started to focus on the symbolism of that number 40. It is so POWERFUL!
Did you know that the Bible mentions this number 146 times? It is a very powerful and prominent symbol that represents the God’s intentional periods of testing and waiting as well as the fulfillment of God’s love and promises.
For example:)
- Moses went through three, 40-year phases in his life: 40-years as the son of Pharaoh in Egypt, then 40-years wandering the desert, then 40-years leading God’s people to Israel.
- Moses received the 10-Commandments from God after a 40-day fast up on Mount Sinai.
- In the book of Exodus, God’s People of Israel were freed from Egypt and on their way to the Promised Land which was a trek that should have taken just a few weeks by foot, but God tested them and made them wait 40-years before they could enter to their rightful home!
- Jesus did a 40-day prayer fast right before His crucifixion where we was tempted by Satan to set Himself free from His destiny of death. Jesus thankfully overpowered Satan’s tempting which gives us our freedom from Sin today.
- The Bible itself is actually written by 40 different authors and yet all relay the same truth and the consistent character of God.
The number 40 is a big deal in the eyes of God and, as with everything in the Bible, we should pay attention and apply it to our lives.
For this reason, I choose to engage in 40-day intentions annually. I have for the last 10-years practiced the self-sacrifice period of Lent which is the 40-days leading up to Easter Sunday, celebrating the resurrection of Jesus.
As I have grown in my relationship with God more recently, I have decided 40-days is the perfect amount of time to really focus on health intentions too. I believe that if we want to truly secure new, healthier habits into our lives, a 40-day commitment is usually the least amount of time required before the act because truly habitual and less difficult.
For this reason, at A. Wright Fit I will be offering several health intention plans and products that will focus around this 40-day blessed period.
The first, is my 40-days Radical Acceptance daily devotional series which starts TOMORROW, July 21. This is a simple daily reading with the intention of Radically Accepting some of the harder things in our Spiritual lives.
To be sure you are signed up, click this link HERE.<—
Since this is my first 40-day Spiritual Health product I’m offering, I have decided I wanted to offer it for FREE before I add it to a exercise and nutrition sequence that will be for sale!
But to get your chance of reading it for FREE, be sure you sign up for the email sequence as well as CONFIRM your email to the be officially added. Again, —> LINK IS HERE<—
I am looking forward to what 40-Days of Radical Acceptance looks like for me! I invite you along for the journey too!
