Marriage 101- Life 101

Dear friends of ours are getting married this weekend. These are very very VERY dear friends and my excitement for them can't be contained!! As Trey and I have watched them go through their dating, their engagement, and now these final stressful days leading up to the wedding- with decisions and unexpected "hang-ups" I am reminded of our wedding, our planning, our excitement. I sit on our couch, and around me is a house we have built together, a home, our safe place. On the walls, pictures of that blessed day, our smiles, our kisses, our excitement... and although we have only been married about a year and a half, I feel that we have begun to scratch the surface of the "knitty-gritty" of it. I think back on the verses read during our ceremony:
Proverbs 3: 1-6
"My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart, for they will prolong your life many years and bring you prosperity. Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight."

Colossians 3: 12-17
"Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."

I think back on the past two years with Trey, the past year and a half of marriage- have I always been forgiving? gentle and patient? bearing with him grievances? humble? compassionate? How many times have I thrown away the chance to love Trey like Christ has loved me? Everyone tells you when you get married that marriage won't always be easy- they aren't lying! But as I learn more and more about Trey, and about myself, everyday, I think, "Man, God did know what He was doing, putting us together." When the guards come down, and the reality of whatever is going on in our daily life is in front of us, and we sit up late at night, talking about our fears, our joys, our jokes, and past arguments (which are pretty funny now), what we want for our marriage, what we need from each other, our future babies, I cannot believe that this wonderful man is what all that strife and frustration of my single years was for- had I not been through life's crap, broken hearts, broken relationships, depression, confusion, questioning, anger, grief, loss, dissappointment in others, dissappointment in myself, all of that and everything in between- it wouldn't have made me know what a true gem I have in this man. He's been through it, too, and what special little treasures those lessons are now- beauty rising up from the rubble of life- every moment finding its place and building up our marriage, with God smack dab in the middle of it all.

It's like the story of the tapestry: Everyone's life is a tapestry, a big masterpiece in the works. Only, we don't see it as a masterpiece. We are behind the scenes, and all that is in our line of vision is the loose threads, the knots and tangles, the colors that don't match or fit, the  blank areas, no picture, no beauty, nothing fits, nothing goes, it's just a mess. And for years that's all we see- then one day, if you're lucky, you might see a small corner complete- and its magnifiscent! And at the end of your life, you turn the tapestry around, and those tangles, knots, mismatched colors, loose threads, were all required in order to make a complete masterpiece, unique and one-of-a-kind, like no other masterpiece every created, handmade by the One who placed each star in the sky, each fish in the sea, each hair on your head. No words...

So, all that reflection (it just started coming, and I didn't really mean to type it all, but I'm gonna leave it; somebody might get something out of it) came to mind when thinking of prayers for our friends, and what kind of tapestry God will start with this new marriage! Rather, how He will combine the tapestries He's already got going in each of their lives. I can't wait to see God's blessings in their lives. As they will live across the street from us, I have a feeling we may see some times when they are feeling "less-blessed," but isn't that the best part? The beauty in the rubble? The things that happen to us, that we don't like, but how they make us better people? How God uses every little detail, sparing nothing, to bring us closer to Him, because He is truly that in love with us and that desperate for our love in return? That He'd do anything to get our attention? Wow- the Creator, He wants me! My attention, my silly chats (which I have a feeling I make God laugh a lot with my 'little girl' requests) my love- He can have it! If He can use it, He can have it! But I can't wait to see how God uses their lives, bringing them together, who knows what He has in store for them- but the unknown is so exciting! Scary, but exciting!

Blessing for our friends:

"May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His light to shine upon your face both now and forevermore. May He hold you and keep you close to His heart. May He make your days together be long and sweet. May He bless your home, your children, your lives. May you  never be far from His perfect love."