As many of you know, I am nearly three weeks into my newest season of life-the season of life where two lives become one life. Until Seth and I were engaged, I had never thought in depth much about marriage. I knew I desired to be a part of the covenant of marriage, and I knew I loved Seth and that he was the person God had designed for me. I knew that he was the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with even through whatever challenges we might face, and I even knew I would have to abandon some of my own dreams.. But until we were engaged- promised to be married to one another- I had not thought much else about the subject of Marriage. I cannot begin to describe how beautiful marriage is. A beautiful covenant between a man and a woman symbolic of the covenant between Christ and the Church.
Marriage is no longer just a promise I made to spend the rest of my life with somebody, nor is it the covenant I am to enter into before I can have sex without sinning against God or myself. Marriage is the abandoning of my old and selfish ways and walking with Seth creating a new way. If that is not a beautiful picture of the gospel, then I don't know what is. I now understand the intimacy God desires to have with me. The intimacy of me seeking Him with my every thought and move. Because I am now one with Seth, every decision I make I think of him because my decisions affect him. I now ask him or at least tell him before I go have lunch with a friend. I seek his opinion before I go run with a new group or help in a ministry or spend a few dollars on this new article of clothing. He isn't just my partner, he is my life. We are ONE in flesh. I can go to Seth with my thoughts and struggles and not have the fear of him condemning me or judging me, but have the joy knowing he will hurt with me, love me, and pray for me. And that's how our relationship with God should be. He hurts with us. He loves us. He forgives us. He wants us to come to Him with our every need because He is the ultimate provider and healer. And while marriage has shown me the kind of relationship God desires with me, I know Seth will fail me but God never will. Seth will fail me and I will fail him, but because of God's love for us, we know how to forgive each other. God has grace and mercy on us over and over again. And there again, mine and Seth's marriage will constantly consists of us pouring love and grace and mercy on one another when we mess up- when I don't get his shirt washed for church on Sunday or I forget to pick up milk for his cereal or when he hurts my feelings with that comment that's supposed to be joking but I take it seriously. And Praise God! Oh Praise God because we have both experienced His love and mercy! And we have the Holy Spirit to guide us in our marriage- to allow us the have love and grace and mercy on one another because we can't have do this alone. We need the Helper. Without God we wouldn't know how to love-not through the trials that we know we will go through together.
So today, I am thanking God for this gift. I also thank Him for the most beautiful, wise, and Godly counselors in our life. Seth and I have so many loving couples in our life that have poured out love and prayers on us as we have entered into this season of life. As a result of "The Blessing",we were able to begin our marriage with truth. And thank you to my Aunt Sandi and Uncle Weyman for giving us the advice to "abandon our old lives and create one new life together". And just like as followers of Christ, we are dead to our old lives without Christ and born again to a new life with Christ living inside of us. It's a beautiful picture. Absolutely beautiful. Marriage and the Gospel. :)
"For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace." John 1:16
"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love." Psalm 103:8
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