6 Years + 100 Posts

Six years ago I was packing for my Honeymoon and going over a massive list of decoration details with my cousins and parents. Things had stacked up because the week before the wedding was full of rain and one day of sun (sound familiar?). I was exhausted, exhilarated, and slightly terrified...anyone who truly understands the marriage covenant should have healthy fear.

Tonight I stood at our kitchen window and stared at the yard. It has changed a bit - no more trees, clover in the grass, a new house on the ceremony site. This evening is the kind I dreamed of - slightly warm, a beautiful sunset, and fall in the air. But God knows best, and He shows Himself off perfectly. Far better to tell people the day of our outdoor wedding the rain stopped thirty minutes before pictures began and started again as the last chair was loaded.

As I tore apart our basement trying to find our Wedding CDs, I came across some of our pre-marital documents. Here are the goals I listed:

1. Glorify God and die to self daily
2. Raise children 'the way they are bent,' in the Church, and by example with great love
3. Foster servanthood
4. Be obedient to the Word
5. Stay in the Word, Prayer, and Church - fellowship with each other daily
6. Never go to bed angry
7. Always communicate, especially about segmented things like money or work
8. Foster belovedness with notes, surprises, etc.

Pretty lofty goals, huh? But, by God's grace, and in spite of our deeply entrenched sin, I think we've held to these goals. We have never gone to bed angry. We definitely don't always die to self, but Andy is teachable and quick to work through my stinky attitude. I never suspected how central the church would become to our marriage - how the teaching, fellowship, friendships, and accountability have shaped and encouraged and fueled our love.

Couples that pray together - and serve together - stay together. It's so tempting to scuttle away into newlywed newness, but much more profitable to jump in the trenches together and get a little scuffed and worn.

I love my husband, so much more than I did that night six years ago. That was just shiny, new-care-smelling kind of love. Now we've put some miles on the tires and tested the brakes. We've got two more passengers. We have some chips in the paint. But it's been a great ride, and I hope for some more curves ahead because this is just so much fun.