A Leap of Faith

After a month of marriage, and a little prompting from my friend, Michael, I am ready to update the story. Married for a month. Wow! It doesn't seem like it has been that long already. Time really does fly when you're having fun! The honeymoon, planned entirely by my husband, was fantastic - a carefree week in beautiful Jackson Hole, Wyoming driving a red covertible mustang.

On the one hand, marriage is normal - pretty much everybody does it. It's also a sure thing when you do it God's way. On the other hand, it is a leap of faith. Lots of marriages fail - even among Christ followers divorce is shockingly common. Couples who everyone thinks have the "perfect marriage" go under all too regularly. One person or the other just decides to give up. Sometimes circumstances feel overwhelming and it's just too hard to be responsible for taking care of another person. Whatever the reason, everyone has a choice. Martina McBride's song Anyway talks about this. "You can love someone with all your heart, for all the right reasons, and in a moment they can choose to walk away. Love them anyway." That's powerful. Marriage is the ultimate vulnerability.

This past month, which has been crazy - trying to settle in at home, getting the hay in on the farms and still spending quality time together - has only increased my love for this wonderful man God has given me. He is truly a prince among men - a rare find. I know myself all too well and I know that I don't deserve how God has blessed me, but I do believe that He has honored my waiting. There are a lot of things that I have not done well in life, but in this one thing I have been very intentional and patient and have pursued God's best by actively waiting on His plan.

In this month of marital bliss, I have discovered the princess in me in new ways. A wise woman once told me that a godly husband would work to bring out the femininity that God put in my heart, and I have found this to be true. I also have found something that my warrior heart can fight for passionately - my husband. What does the battle look like? Sometimes it's washing his work shirts or fixing his lunch, sometimes it's listening to his frustration over the hay crop that wasn't as good as he wanted it be and sometimes it's just telling him that I love him.

So, this leap of faith called marriage - it's a good one! With the vulnerability also comes security - the knowledge that we won't be one of the shocking stories of failure. He knows all my dirt and he loves me. He's a lot like God. Actually, he is a daily reminder of how God loves me - unconditionally. Wow!