I love you, My Dear....

It is every girl’s dream that one day she will find her prince charming and plan her perfect wedding day. I sit here in the midst of lists upon lists of things to still do in these last 30 days, all the while my heart leaps for joy at the precious time I spend with my soon-to-be husband. I would love to say that ever since December 4, 2011, everything has gone smoothly and everyday has been met with pure joy and happiness. However, God’s plan for everyday that I have experienced has, and always has been, planned before my creation and for His Glory.

 

I have learned that as I prepare for marriage, my future husband will not always make me happy(and our relationship for that matter), but he will help me to become more holy. That is what marriage is for: to make you more like Christ. Marriage places a mirror in front of you 24 hours and day, 7 days a week to show you every insecurity, fear, rude attitude, unloving act, and selfish ambition. It is through this mirror that I begin to see the real me and am able to look to Jesus to become more like Him. I see the real picture of what Christ calls me to be as a soon-to-be wife as well as the weight that it will place on my husband to be the spiritual leader of our family.

 

²¹ And further, submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

²² For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. ²³ For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. ²⁴ As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

²⁵ For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her ²⁶ to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. ²⁷ He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. ²⁸ In the same way, husbands ought to love their wives as they love their own bodies. For a man who loves his wife actually shows love for himself. ²⁹ No one hates his own body but feeds and cares for it, just as Christ cares for the church. ³⁰ And we are members of his body.

³¹ As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”

Ephesians 5:21-31

In everything I do, I must submit to my husband just as I do to the Lord. I admit that I still have the hardest time submitting to Him in all areas of my life. I believe that it is a daily process and we will never be able to completely submit to our Lord Jesus until the day we meet Him face to face. Through this season in my life, God has brought me to brokenness but also healing. He has brought me face to face with my worst fears, yet He comforted me and reminded me of His precious promises. He has shown me my sin yet continues to show me His great mercy and grace. He has brought me down to my knees, still a mess of a girl, and He has brought me to my feet with such praise and adoration for who He is. He has asked me to love people that are hard to love and forgive those who have done wrong to me and to those I love. He has told me over and over that my engagement and marriage to Bobby should be a picture of Christ’s love for His Church: the story of redemption that will one day be brought to our families. He reminded me to never give up on praying and staying faithful to the things He has placed on my heart. The enemy planted lies within me and I had to let the Lord do the battle for me. I learned I cannot hide my face from my loving Father because He calls me beautiful. And most importantly, I have learned there is no shame since I have been redeemed by the precious blood of the Lamb.

Even though I will have to work hard every day not only to submit to my King, but also to my husband, I could not think of a better place I would rather be than in the safety and security of my God and the man that God has made for me on this earth. Bobby is the man more than my greatest dreams and I am so thankful God taught me to wait for the one He had for me. I am overwhelmed by much joy, gratitude, love, and anticipation for our wedding day and our future. I pray for a wedding day that honors and glorifies our King and captures our love for Him and each other. I cannot wait to marry you, Robert Daniel. I love you for good.