Cassie…have been some of the best weeks of my life.
A few days ago, while we were driving, I told Johnny something that had been on my heart for a while.
“All of the best things in my life have been completely and wholly God’s doing,” I said, “And nothing to do with my own striving, or feeling anxious and then feeling the need to control something.”
The comment was in some ways to remind myself that, in the areas of uncertainty in my life, there is SO MUCH certainty. At any given moment, when any one of us feels out of control, we can remind ourselves of the sure areas of certainty that God has already ordained. NO MATTER WHAT your life situation, I know this is true.
Maybe it’s, “I can’t find a job… but my husband loves me so well. I get more time to volunteer at church. I get to spend a bit more time in this season reading and learning.”
Or maybe you’re lonely, and desiring a romantic relationship, but God’s ordained a season of singleness that could have so much more potential for joy if you weren’t coveting another person’s relationship.
One of the most amazing things about marriage has been Johnny and I seeing EVERYTHING about each other.
I would argue that we’ve already seen a lot, committed to being incredibly open and communicating all of our thoughts with each other – and fallen more in love because of it – but living together and having vowed forever to each other and being joined as ONE by God reveals a LOT.
Marriage is beautiful for that, because Johnny makes me better. He is my biggest and best and most exuberant encourager, and NEVER my critic, and that is perhaps the biggest piece of advice I could give to those of you in committed relationships.
We’ve had late night tears, relaying our biggest fears and dreams to each other; morning cuddles, wishing we could have just one more moment in our warm bed enjoying each other; happy home-from-work hours of just chatting about our days; giddy, Christmas-morning-like excitement of setting up our home.
We’ve committed to undying excellence, excitement, and passion, achieved only through Jesus. We’ve committed to love and support each others’ flourishing. And the best part? Johnny DAILY makes me want to be closer to Jesus because of the way the HE lives… and, because he knows me better than anyone, he’s the most loving and best person to help me get there.
Together, we’ve been reading a book by Eric and Leslie Ludy called The First 90 Days of Marriage.
I cannot recommend this book highly enough. If you are newly married, thinking about marriage, or have been married for years, this book details the most important facets of the foundation of your relationship. After all, “a perfect marriage isn’t one absent of mistakes or stumbling. Rather, it is one in which every mistake and every stumble is deemed an opportunity to become a more excellent spouse; one in which every failure only serves to inspire each of you toward ultimate success.”
No matter how much uncertainty there is your life right now, there is ALWAYS at least one certainty for those who have a relationship with the Living Jesus: HIS will WILL be done. In Him, I am also blessed by the certainty of my husband’s commitment to His reign in our home, in our relationship, and in me. Two are truly better than one (Ecclesiastes 4:9)!
