A Pure Love to Mend Their Trust

by Lilah Rivers

  “Annie, I promise to live in charity with you. I promise to ask God for mercy each and every day, when I am struggling through my imperfections. And, Church,” he said, turning back to the guests. “I promise that I will hold you to this, as Paul held the Corinthians to it. Our church will remain a place where we treat one another with love, charity, and dignity.”

  “My next verse comes from the book of Ruth,” Jethro continued. “And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.” Jethro paused.

  “Annie, where you go, I will go. I promise you that we will spend our lives together, and I mean it. You are my wife and my greatest joy. And, Church, I promise that I will not be the sort of minister who goes off, seeking a larger congregation or a more luxurious duty. I am here, and I am not going anywhere,” Jethro promised.

  He looked at the guests and then he looked back at Annie, who was eyeing him with pride.

  “I have just one final verse. It comes from Genesis, chapter one,” he said.

  “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth,” he read.

  “I am certain that we all know this verse well. But, Annie, I vow to remember you as an image-bearer of God, as someone who has been created by him and for his purposes. And I vow to be diligent in honoring that, in honoring you,” he said. “And to you, my brethren of the church, I promise to support your families as you live upon this earth.”

  Jethro looked at his father, knowing that it was time for him to make another announcement that affected them all.

  “Thank you, Jethro. And thank you, to those of you who have come today for this union. Annie, my lovely daughter-in-law, is an amazing young woman. She is patient and kind, as some of those verses remind us,” he said.

  “And as my son commits to Annie today, you have heard him also commit to this church. And he has. What I mean to say is that I have decided to step back from my role of preaching, as I am no longer the spry young man that I once was. Although I will still be a part of this church and will continue to minister, Jethro will be taking the pulpit once he has completed his ordination,” his father said.

  There were gasps and whispers about the hall, but Jethro was surprised that no one looked angry or upset. It was a shock to many, but no one more than Annie.

  “What?” she asked, looking happy, despite not having expected the news.

  “What do you think? Are you ready to be the wife of a minister?” he asked her.

  Annie was quiet, but tears filled her eyes. She nodded, enthusiastically, as Jethro waited for the announcement to take full effect among the congregation.

  “Well, in that case, there is nothing left for me to do but to announce Jethro and Annie Mills as husband and wife,” his father said.

  With that, the piano began to play once more. There was an air of excitement and joy as they made their way to the reception that was being held for them.

  “Congratulations! Not only a married man, but soon to be a minister,” one woman from the congregation said.

  “We can’t wait to hear more from you,” said another man.

  Jethro was excited about his future in the church, but more than anything, he was excited for his future with Annie.

  “Are you surprised?” he asked her.

  “I didn’t expect it, but that doesn’t make it a surprise. I would trust no one in leading me more than I trust you,” she said.

  “And there is no one I would rather have as my partner in this journey than I want you to be,” he replied.

  “Do you think I will be useful? As the wife of a minister, I mean?” she asked.

  “I have never met a woman more devout to the knowledge of the Scriptures than you. I have never met a woman who is more concerned with knowing God than you. I am certain, Annie, that you will be an ideal wife for someone who has been ordained to preach the Word of the Lord,” Jethro said.

  “Well, in that case, I look forward to every moment of helping you as you prepare for Sunday worship,” Annie said. “And I look forward to keeping our home a habitable and lovely place for you to come and find rest.”

  Jethro placed a hand softly on Annie’s cheeks and held it there as he spoke.

  “All I want when I come home is to know that you will be there. Every day. For the rest of our lives.”

  Epilogue

  “So the message is on the Sermon of the Mount this week?” Annie asked, sitting down beside Jethro.

  “Actually, probably for the next two months. How can we fit all of this into one week? There is so much wonder in it that I can’t imagine trying to minimize everything into a neat and tidy hour-long sermon,” Jethro said.

  “I suppose that’s right,” Annie said, understanding what he meant by that. She had come to learn over the previous six months of marriage that preaching required a great deal of preparation, including the reading of commentaries and cross-referencing and all manner of study.

  As Jethro had been finishing his studies and going through the process of ordination, he had begun a weekly tradition with Annie where he would prepare for a sermon all week and then preach to her on Sunday, just as he would do once he took the pulpit from his father.

  Jethro was never one to try and squeeze too much into a small space if he didn’t have to. He wanted to make certain that everything in the Word was taught thoroughly and completely, leaving nothing to assumption.

  But now, it was finally his chance to stand before the congregation and preach his first sermon as Reverend Jethro Mills.

  After his ordination service a few weeks before, his father had finished preaching through the book of Hosea and told Jethro that the time had come.

  “So, what can I do to help?” Annie asked.

  “Well, I need a bit of cross-referencing done. Do you think you can help with that?” he asked.

  “Of course. Just tell me what you want me to find,” she said.

  “Can you find me passages about righteousness? That is one of the Beatitudes we will be addressing,” Jethro said.

  “Certainly, my love,” Annie replied, setting to work.

  She wanted to help Jethro in any way that she could. He had been doing such a wonderful job in studying and preparing for this life of service, and she thought that it was only right to do whatever she could to ease his burden.

  Annie had loved the opportunity to make a nice, clean, and beautiful home for the two of them.

  They had been living in the parish with Jethro’s mother and father until it was handed over to Jethro and Annie exclusively, his parents building a nice little home that they were very excited about.

  After that, Jethro had told Annie that she could do whatever she wished with the parish house to make it their own.

  She had taken the idea and run with it, turning the whole place into a bit of a sanctuary from any stress or strain that existed in the outside world.

  After all, their courtship and engagement had been dramatic enough. Annie wanted their marriage to be a peaceful, enjoyable romance.

  “Here, what do you think of this?” Jethro said, showing Annie a few notes that he had scribbled down.

  She read through some of the points that he had made and smiled, knowing well that this was the work of her husband, who loved to address anything he believed might be relevant.

  “Terrific, Jethro. Really!” she said.

  “You think?” he asked.

  “The congregation is going to be so glad that you are their new minister. I believe it wholehea
rtedly,” Annie said.

  “I’m glad. What about the verses? Have you found any that might be relevant to the message?” he asked.

  “I do have a few, yes,” Annie said.

  “All right. Great. Can you tell me a few?” he asked.

  “Yes, the first one is from Romans chapter five, verses one through five,” she said.

  Jethro turned the pages and read, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”

  “And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”

  “What do you think?” she asked.

  “Yes, that’s perfect. And the next?” he asked.

  “The next one is Psalm one-hundred-twenty-seven, verses three through five,” she said.

  “Hmm? I don’t remember that one. All right, let me find it,” Jethro said.

  He turned the pages, and Annie smiled, waiting. Finally, he found it.

  “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate,” he read.

  “Hmm. All right. I mean, it’s not really about righteousness. I guess it’s kind of about someone being joyful for the gifts that the Lord has given him—and the remark about not being ashamed. I don’t know that I can really connect it to the sermon, though,” Jethro said.

  “No? It’s not relevant?” Annie asked.

  Jethro shrugged, reading through the verses again, silently.

  “Yes, I’m sorry. It’s not quite what I’m looking for. Can you find more like the first verse?” he asked.

  Annie sat quietly, somewhat surprised that Jethro had not understood her meaning in giving him this verse.

  “Darling, can you read it one more time?” she asked.

  He looked up at her with confusion, but then read through the verse again before looking up once more, not making the connection.

  “What is this verse about?” Annie asked.

  “It is about the blessing of having …” slowly, it appeared to dawn on Jethro what it was that Annie was trying to say.

  “Having what?” she asked, unable to keep the smile off her face.

  “Really? Do you mean it?” he asked.

  “Yes, my darling. I am with child,” she announced.

  Jethro said nothing but threw his arms around Annie and kissed her sweetly. His wide eyes brimmed with happy tears, and Annie’s overflowed.

  “How long have you known?” he asked.

  “I have suspected for a couple of weeks, but I went and saw Gloria this morning,” she said, thinking on her time with the midwife.

  “When you said you were going to visit your mother? And Gloria confirmed it?” he asked.

  Annie nodded.

  “Yes. I’m sorry for lying to you. I figured that if I was right, I could give you a surprise. If I was wrong, I would just tell you when I got home,” she said.

  “I am so glad that it was the former,” he said, laughing happily.

  “Me too. She said that by her estimation, I am only about eight weeks along. But it explains why I was feeling a bit nauseous this week. She said that I am fortunate it has not been worse,” Annie said.

  “Yes, you are. My cousin was very ill,” he said.

  “And my mother has told me stories of how ill she was as well. So, I am very thankful. But, my dear, this is the start of our next stage as a family. Are you happy?” Annie asked.

  “I could not be happier,” he replied.

  He embraced Annie once more, and she leaned into his arms with glee.

  Their future was bright ahead of them. There was so much to think on and dream about. Not one moment would be wasted.

  “What do you think? Should we tell our parents?” Jethro asked.

  “So long as they do not spread the news right away,” Annie said.

  “Then we will ask them not to. But we should have them come for dinner. We should tell them right away,” Jethro said.

  “All right. Let’s have them come,” Annie said.

  They sent word to their mothers and fathers and arranged for a dinner party that evening. For a moment, they had considered inviting Timothy and Rachel as well, but the two had their own wedding plans to finalize. They didn’t want to overshadow the joy that they were already feeling.

  “What is the occasion?” Annie’s mother asked once she arrived.

  “We just wanted to have everyone together,” Annie said. “To enjoy a nice dinner.”

  Her mother looked at her with suspicion.

  “I’m sure. Anyway, I won’t make any guesses. I will let you have your little party, and you can tell us the reason in your own timing,” she said, clearly knowing already.

  Annie laughed and tried to hide her smile, but the news was already too difficult to hide.

  After a short time mingling in the living room, they all made their way to the kitchen where they sat down to eat their dinner.

  It was then that Jethro stood up and raised his glass.

  “Let us toast to the love of the Lord who brought our families together. And let us also toast to my beautiful wife, who is working so hard. You know, she made this meal. She cleaned this home. She set this table. Today, she helped me in preparing for my sermon,” Jethro said.

  “She is always working so hard. And even now, when she sleeps, she is still working away,” he said.

  There were confused expressions at the table, and Annie had to try not to laugh.

  “What do you mean?” Jethro’s father asked.

  Jethro grinned, struggling not to laugh.

  “I mean that it cannot be over-restful to grow another human. Here’s to Annie!”

  THE END

  Can't get enough of Mary and Tobias? Then make sure to check out the Extended Epilogue to find out…

  Why

  ?

  Click the link or enter it into your browser

  http://lilahrivers.com/mary

  (After reading the Extended Epilogue, turn the page to read the first chapters from “Let the Heart Do the Talking”, my Amazon Best-Selling novel!)

  Let the Heart Do the Talking

  Introduction

  Mary Stubbs is a young widow that has inherited her late husband's ranch. Her competition is strong, with the rest of the town’s ranchers being more than willing to do anything to take over her property. When everyone attempts to break her spirit and make her give up the land, Mary is more determined and strong-willed than ever. She will soon come to realize that she can’t trust anyone, not even her best friend’s brother, Tobias, who seemingly approaches her as her only ally. What is the true, hidden motivation behind her insistence on keeping this troubling ranch? Will she find a way out of the dangerous trap that is being set against her?