Marriage: A Valentine's Post

It's amazing to me how God works. I mean, he takes two people who are from different families, different places, who have different personalities and different opinions, and orchestrates all the pieces to bring them together--together in a way that is only held together by grace, forgiveness, patience, and of course love--it's nothing short of an amazing miracle!

My 16th Birthday Party

Junior/Senior Prom

Now, the parental relationship is awesome, but that love is a given. You're blood.  As a parent, I love my little boy in a way that I never dreamed I would, but he came from me, so of course I love him...it's pure instinct. It requires ZERO effort and you'd never walk away from that relationship once it's formed. Can you imagine telling your baby, "Sorry, I feel we're growing apart and I've just fallen out of love with you?" Heck-to-the-no!!! So yes, the marital relationship is a totally different beast. You're not bound together by "blood," and it's definitely not instinctual. You're bound together by choice, and you can virtually leave at any time. So you must choose to overlook that annoying habit and love 'em. You choose to forgive what they did that wronged you and love 'em. You choose to put off your desires for theirs and love 'em. You choose to love 'em when their unlovable. You choose to make it work. Or you choose not to. No one ever said it was going to be easy! It's a lot of work having two selfish, prideful, completely opposite, sinful people living under one roof, but it gets easier once you realize that you are both equally sinful and equally forgiven by God's grace.

 What an amazing thought. There is NOTHING I can do under God's grace that would make Him love me any less. He's not going to take back His promise...ever. What a perfect example of self sacrificing love...and whaddya' know, He tells husbands to love their wives just as Christ loves His church and gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25-33). We have the tools and we have the High standard. What more could we ask for!?

This past year I have had friendships tested in my life and I remember one night, when I was at a low point, I looked over at my husband who was playing with our baby and I thought, "Yes, HE is my very best friend."
He is my forever friend. He is my home. He is my family. He is my heart's other half....by the Grace of God.

 Happy Valentine's Day to you and your "forever friend"