Thoughts on Marriage

I love to share with those who are engaged how amazing marriage is! A friend of mine recently commented how good it was to hear a positive reference to marriage when so many people talk about how hard it is and that got me thinking...

First off I want to say how amazing the last nine months of my life have been to share with my amazing husband. I am beyond blessed to share my life with a man who is such a servant to both God and me, and who continually shows his love for me every day through his actions and his words. I truly feel as if I am the most blessed woman in the world to have him! I have had significant struggles this year adjusting to my job, and Jason has gone so far over and beyond what I could ask in supporting me every step of the way.

Going back to my thoughts from earlier, I think many of us think of love as our basis for marriage. But to build a strong foundation, we must define the love we claim to have as our base...How do you define love? Much of the world defines love as a feeling that is the result of interaction with another...key word there being feeling. If love is a feeling, then feelings change. Many times our feelings are based on our surroundings and the situations we view ourselves in, and the things are continually changing.

When I think to the times in our first year of marriage in adjusting to living with one another and in minor misunderstandings I think back to the Y in the road that I came to each time...Each time I was faced with a choice...You see love is a choice. We choose in those moments to love our spouse and to put him/her over the issue. We choose to bite the bullet, swallow our pride, and sacrifice ourselves for the sake of our spouse. And that is what makes love in a marriage last. It's the continual choice of putting another before yourself, and in uniting as one (not two) in Christ. Speaking of Christ, an amazing model of this choice can be seen in God's choice to sacrifice His son for our life and a relationship with us, so that we can be one with Him...He didn't do it because of a feeling, he chose to do it because of an intense desire to be intimate with us, in being our Bridegroom. We as wives and husbands choose to sacrifice our selfish ways, what we are used to, what we desire, to build and create an intimate relationship with another as one (not two) and continually pursue this relationship with them.

A verse that has stuck with Jason and I since the beginning of our relationship is John 4:19...We love because he first loved us. Meaning our love is an overflow and abundance of God's love. It's neverending...When we our human selves become run down, discouraged, or overcome with life, we must remind our self of God's choice to choose and show his love to us. This verse is also inspiring to me in that His love can be made complete through us. In drawing upon God's love for one another we have the honor of being vessels of His love for our spouse! And our fabuous husbands and handsome grooms can be a glimpse of our Bridegroom in Heaven and his love for us!

Before I wrap this up, I want to highlight the amazing joy in celebrating each day in this first year with my one and only. The little joys of waking up each morning together, coming home after a long day at work, sharing our days, laying down at night, sharing our first married holidays, and creating our first home have truly brought so much delight to my heart that I cannot even begin to describe it! I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life! I know that in years to come we will face hardships, as we already have during the time we have been together...But to have some one by your side to share both the joys, the sorrows, and all the in between in life, is a blessing that I will be eternally grateful for!