Faith, Love & Truth
A few little things making me over the moon happy today and making me feel like a mighty blessed girlie.
– Friday!
– a marriage that still takes my breath away
– hints of spring, even if they are small ones
– exciting weekend plans
It’s no secret, we rushed to get married. Hello…met in February, engaged in March and married in June. If that’s not rushing, I don’t know what is. But we didn’t get married for the reason most thought. We simply were ready for our happily ever after to begin. Oh, how naively we went into marriage.
Marriage is amazing and I love it, but it’s nothing like I thought it would be. Lately, I’ve been thinking of what I wish I had known before I got married. Things that would have made it easier to avoid some of our mistakes and to not fall into the traps couples so often do. Marriage introduces challenges that couples just simply aren’t prepared for.
Marriage is not about living happily ever after – If we were honest, we all crave a fairy-tale and a happy ending. I know I sure did. The problem isn’t wanting a fairy-tale romance but trying to compare your marriage and your spouse to those whirlwind romances in the movies. Open your heart up to Gods love first and He will show you how to truly love your husband without unreal expectations.
Marriage is not all about you – That’s a hard lesson to learn, isn’t it? Contrary to what the world tells you, it’s not about your happiness. It’s not about getting your needs met. It’s about going through life together and serving God and each other. It’s about committing yourselves to each other, even though you may be different people in the years to come.
The more you put into your marriage, the more you’ll get out of it – Marriage takes a lot of work and time, there is no doubt about that. Realize that straight away and commit to it. Go into marriage knowing your not going to have a 50/50 marriage, but a 100/100 marriage. Give your all because you love them, not because you expect something in return.
You can’t do it on your own – Marriage is difficult. That is obvious when you see how many couples end in divorce. It’s two imperfect people living together, failing daily. The only way to make your marriage truly work is to center it on Christ. God intended marriage to mirror His relationship with the church so that we could basically be a testimony to others and SHOW them what God is like. You have to rely on God for wisdom, power, love and strength for your marriage.
Make time for each other a priority – Make any time together into a mini-date. Whether it is running to the grocery store or a quick little ride on the 4-wheeler together. Snuggle in, hold hands and make that time together count.
Everyone has a story.
As we stood to sing, I glanced around the room quickly. Oh, how many stories there were in that room. Stories of triumph and failures, happy and tragic endings, healing and sickness and pain and suffering. But most of all, the room was filled to overflowing with His grace.
Thinking of my own story, my eyes filled to overflowing with tears and I quickly wiped them away. I think of how many times I feel I’ve failed not only myself but also Him. In those failing times, I’ve allowed the enemy to make me feel not worthy. To make me feel like, just as Adam and Eve hid their nakedness from God, I felt I had to hide my failure from Him.
How many times I’ve given it to Him only to take it back. I can only imagine how that must break His heart, to think that I don’t trust Him enough to give my failures to Him completely.
I recently read a devotional by James McDonald that made me stop in my tracks and really reflect on myself, my heart and do some “God talk”. It says…
Notice that the Lord explains how I’m all the grace you need actually works in our lives: “For my power is made perfect in weakness.” “Perfect” means fulfilled, accomplished, completed, finished. It’s the same term Jesus spoke as His final word on the cross, tetelestai, which means, “It is finished” (John 19:30). God brings His sufficient and powerful grace to the relationship; all we bring is weakness. All of this is grace because we can’t do anything to deserve what He does for us. And He makes sure the results are perfect and complete.
God wants His grace to be completed in your weakness. You never really experience the grace unless you see the need for it—and even that realization comes by grace. The power of Jesus’ grace is not fully seen until weakness is fully acknowledged. The moment you are overwhelmed with your absolute helplessness is the moment you are ready to hear Jesus say, I’m all the grace you need.
Reading this took me instantly back to the day my husband told me he was leaving. I sat on the bed, watching him pack. I was hysterically crying, telling him I couldn’t do this without him. I couldn’t live without him. Two days after he left, the kids and I sat in the living room watching Jonathan Falwell and immediately I felt that we should all get together, hold hands and pray. As soon as that prayer ended, I felt peace. In my moment of absolute weakness, He gave me the grace I needed.
When I suffer and when I fail, I want to do it with faithfulness. Whatever I am going through, I want to be faithful to God…even when I don’t feel like it. Join me as I express those feelings to God today. Leave them there with Him today. He is big enough to handle them. And His grace is enough… for me and for you.
