I Go Where You Go - Linda Padgett
The year was 1991, and Chris and I were on our honeymoon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The movie that ran away with all the Oscars that year was Dances with Wolves, and we saw it twice during our week long trip.
For those of you completely out of touch with this great movie, Dances with Wolves, staring the young Kevin Costner, is a period drama of a civil war soldier who develops a relationship with a tribe of Lakota Indians. He ends up leaving his soldiering behind to join the simple life of these natives. Along the way, Costner, known to the tribe as Dances with Wolves, falls in love with a white woman who has also found refuge among the natives.
In this nearly four-hour movie, there is one scene that made such a deep mark on our hearts that we have referred to it over and over for the last twenty-seven years. In fact, the infamous line that is spoken during that scene has become a motto throughout our marriage and is now considered one of our PADGETT FAMILY SAYINGS.
Towards the end of the movie, Costner is forced to leave the tribe in order to protect them from the relentless searching of the military. His now wife, Stands with a Fist, is given the choice to remain with the natives who had become her family or join Costner in a nomadic life of fleeing the anger of the white man.
Guess what she chose to do? She decided to remain by her husband’s side. So here it is. It is at this moment in the movie that she speaks the words that have remained with us throughout our journey of marriage.
“My place is with you. I GO WHERE YOU GO.”
So simple, yet so profound.
In the years we have been married, Chris and I have come to many cross roads. There have been moments where uncertainty paralyzed our forward movement. A clear vision was not granted to both of us; therefore, the decision fell into the hands of the one who was being led.
One such occasion was when Chris felt led to change the way he did ministry. After years of traveling as a band all over the country, the time came to leave that behind and branch out on his own. As for me, I had no strong feeling about this. I could see why he was being led that way, but I did share his concern about how this change would effect our family’s financial position. Taking care of the house filled with little children was my main concentration.
One day, as Chris was wavering back and forth, I grabbed him by the shoulders and said, “I go where you go.” That was all I needed to say. He understood that statement to mean, “I trust you. I believe in you. I will back you up till my dying day.”
That kind of confidence breathes life into a soul. Chris needed to hear me say it out loud. He needed to know that no matter what choice he made, I was there with him. We were one. We were undivided. This is our journey and we will make it great only by sticking together.
Believing in one another is a crucial element to a happy marriage. Competition, discouragement, and even indifference has no place in a loving relationship. Empowering your spouse during moments of struggle strengthens them to keep fighting for victory. Planting hope when all that is felt is despair, building confidence when doubt rises to the surface, and ensuring support when the fear of failure holds them back are necessary duties of a faithful spouse.
We live in a world that seeks our destruction. Too often, we are our own worse attacker. That is why having the most important person in your life grab you on the shoulders and tell you, “I go where you go” can change everything about a situation.
Be that cheerleader for your spouse. Be that person who speaks life into their soul. Be the fuel for their greatness. Together, you will be unstoppable.
For those of you completely out of touch with this great movie, Dances with Wolves, staring the young Kevin Costner, is a period drama of a civil war soldier who develops a relationship with a tribe of Lakota Indians. He ends up leaving his soldiering behind to join the simple life of these natives. Along the way, Costner, known to the tribe as Dances with Wolves, falls in love with a white woman who has also found refuge among the natives.
In this nearly four-hour movie, there is one scene that made such a deep mark on our hearts that we have referred to it over and over for the last twenty-seven years. In fact, the infamous line that is spoken during that scene has become a motto throughout our marriage and is now considered one of our PADGETT FAMILY SAYINGS.
Towards the end of the movie, Costner is forced to leave the tribe in order to protect them from the relentless searching of the military. His now wife, Stands with a Fist, is given the choice to remain with the natives who had become her family or join Costner in a nomadic life of fleeing the anger of the white man.
Guess what she chose to do? She decided to remain by her husband’s side. So here it is. It is at this moment in the movie that she speaks the words that have remained with us throughout our journey of marriage.
“My place is with you. I GO WHERE YOU GO.”
So simple, yet so profound.
In the years we have been married, Chris and I have come to many cross roads. There have been moments where uncertainty paralyzed our forward movement. A clear vision was not granted to both of us; therefore, the decision fell into the hands of the one who was being led.
One such occasion was when Chris felt led to change the way he did ministry. After years of traveling as a band all over the country, the time came to leave that behind and branch out on his own. As for me, I had no strong feeling about this. I could see why he was being led that way, but I did share his concern about how this change would effect our family’s financial position. Taking care of the house filled with little children was my main concentration.
One day, as Chris was wavering back and forth, I grabbed him by the shoulders and said, “I go where you go.” That was all I needed to say. He understood that statement to mean, “I trust you. I believe in you. I will back you up till my dying day.”
That kind of confidence breathes life into a soul. Chris needed to hear me say it out loud. He needed to know that no matter what choice he made, I was there with him. We were one. We were undivided. This is our journey and we will make it great only by sticking together.
Believing in one another is a crucial element to a happy marriage. Competition, discouragement, and even indifference has no place in a loving relationship. Empowering your spouse during moments of struggle strengthens them to keep fighting for victory. Planting hope when all that is felt is despair, building confidence when doubt rises to the surface, and ensuring support when the fear of failure holds them back are necessary duties of a faithful spouse.
We live in a world that seeks our destruction. Too often, we are our own worse attacker. That is why having the most important person in your life grab you on the shoulders and tell you, “I go where you go” can change everything about a situation.
Be that cheerleader for your spouse. Be that person who speaks life into their soul. Be the fuel for their greatness. Together, you will be unstoppable.
