"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wed husband, to love, honor, and keep him in sickness and in health, forsaking all others as long as you both shall live?"
When Ruthie had heard the preacher say those words three years, she never would have guessed what lay ahead in her marriage. She expected that there would be times of unemployment, bitter days of arguments, and even a chance he could get in a car accident and end up in a wheel chair. When she thought about all those circumstances, she felt she could still love Bob through it all. Love could carry them through those times. Bob was so wonderful that divorce was not an option. But now, she was heartbroken.
It had been a quiet night when she received the phone call from the police station that Bob had been in jail. The trial seemed to go by quickly, and life for Ruthie had been a blur through it all. Bob maintained his innocence despite every lawyer pressuring him to plead guilty and the judge might go easy on him. He was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. There was not a doubt in her mind that Bob was telling the truth, and she supported him the best she could through visits and phone calls.
Part of her died when the jury found him guilty. Ruthie promised him they would appeal. She would work day and night to find out who framed him. While she was a frantic mess, Bob pushed back the fear that was in his eyes and remained calm and hopeful. He wasn't sure how, but he knew God would make things turn out right. Since it was third degree murder, the judge gave him sixteen years, with parole possible in ten.
Ten years. She would be without her Bob for ten whole years. She couldn't have dinner with him, he couldn't help decorate the house at Christmas time, they couldn't go somewhere fun for their anniversary. Everything was shattered. Not to mention that she'd be in her late thirties when he'd eventually come out. They'd miss the best years of their lives together. What if he changed while he was in jail? He could be a completely different man when he finally came out. And what about herself? She'd be without a man in her life for ten whole years. They hadn't had time to have children yet. Now they might never. For an instant, she seriously considered his suggestion that maybe she should divorce him so she wouldn't be wasting her life waiting for him.
The doubt lasted only for a minute. No, she could never divorce him. No man was better than Bob. That's why she married him. She knew that he was a strong enough man that he wouldn't let prison break him. Besides, she could see him often enough. It's not like he was oversees. She would go to the prison every day (or as much as they would allow). God was testing her devotion to Bob, and maybe this was a witnessing opportunity for her to the other prisoners there. Ruthie and Bob were going to get through it.
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