My Happily Ever After

So, I'm married to this boy.

And sometimes he drives me crazy.

But most of the time he gives me butterflies

and fixes all my problems

and tells me I'm right, even though I'm usually wrong.

And if you don't know him you can get to know him here.

On Sunday we will have been married 12 years.

12  wonderful, messy, whirlwind, beautiful years.

I remember the day we wed so well.  All giggly and hopeless romance.

And then the honeymoon was over and the giggles turned to glares and the hopeless romance to hopelessness.

Yes, I soon realized that when two self centered, proud, always-have-to-have-the-last-word people make a covenant to love one another for life, it can get pretty....well... ugly.

Will you get sidetracked with me for a minute?

Did you know God loves you so much?  So much in fact, that he gave us marriage.  Marriage, you see, is His way to paint a picture of the gospel for us.  As we live out our marriage we are more able to clearly see the marriage relationship we share with Jesus as Christians.  He loves us as a husband loves his wife.  We honor Him as a wife honors her husband.  I know this whole talk has not been very popular over the last few years.  And it's only because of this crazy messed up fallen world.  Because God gave the First Husband and Wife these roles.  And Man dominates and Woman manipulates.  And we screw things up.  But in the Father's perfect plan it was, it is, a great beautiful gift.

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.  So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh.  And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.  Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”

  Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

Gen 2:18, 21-24

So....let's get back on track.  My marriage.  My twelve year painting of the gospel.  It's certainly no where near perfection.  But it does look better than it did 12 years ago, that's for sure.  We're beginning to work out the kinks a little.  We've loosened up.  We glare a little less.  Forgive a little more.  We extend grace. 

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

Colossians 3:13-14

Oh, as I read these verses I realize we have so much work to do.  So far to go.  But I'm taking hold of two things this anniversary weekend.......

I sure do love this Honey of mine.  And I know he loves me. 

Happy Anniversary, Baby!