“You’ll never regret loving this much.”

I learned about Ian and Larissa Murphy a few years ago. Here’s a short summary of their story from their blog:

we met in college in 2005. we started dating then, too. love came quickly and how fun it was.

in september of 2006, on his way to work to earn money for a ring, ian’s car slammed under an SUV. along with part of his brain, it took the plans that we had made. and left us with a brain injury.

but then came eight twenty eight.

“and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

God held us.

ian’s dad, steve, was a regular writer on the blog after the accident, along with me, larissa. then on october 8, 2009, steve met God after a six-week battle with brain cancer.

steve’s birthday is eight twenty eight. our wedding day is eight twenty eight, made official four years after the accident.

After Ian came out of this coma and learned to speak again, they married. Their story is one of hardship and difficulty as they live with the daily reality of a brain injury, but also one of thankfulness and grace.

When Larissa vowed to be there “in sickness and in health,” she meant it. And she lives this out every day.

Larissa just did an interview with Darling magazine, and I thought the way the interviewed closed was powerful:

What do you hope to inspire in others, by sharing your story with us?

A dear friend of ours lost his wife a few short months before our wedding. He had been her caregiver for many years as she battled cancer. Before our wedding, he spoke seven words that I’ll carry with me forever—“You’ll never regret loving this much.” It’s as simple as that. Love gives life.

I think that’s an important message. Choosing love when it’s hard, trying and messy.

I once heard a pro-life woman speak about her family. One of her children lived with a severe disability. She admits that her life cannot be defined as ‘easy’ but she asked the audience if that’s what they wanted – an easy life.

Would they want to look back on their lives as having been ‘easy’? Or would they rather live a life that might be hard at times, but rich in love and depth and life lessons and moments of surprising joy. She explained how her daughter’s life had permitted her family to learn about selflessness, love, faithfulness, and the simple joys of life in a way they might not have otherwise.

Something inspiring to think about between reading stories of the Gosnell trial and such.

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