On Being Married

In case ya' missed it around here [and are apparently living under a rock], I got married! On 9.13.14 loverboy and I vowed ourselves to each other. I know that this is an insignificant, tiny little detail for most of you, but it has completely and radically changed my life. I mean, I live with a boy. A BOY.

A boy who makes the bed differently than I do, sometimes doesn't realize the trail he leaves behind as he walks in the house with his shoes on, and whose idea of a perfect Sunday afternoon includes cheering on the Vikings. I now have to eat meat AND veggies at every dinner (thanks mother in law!), share my closet with another human being, and smell coffee every morning. Weird.

But don't get me wrong. It may be weird, but it's also awesome. I now have my own human heater on cold nights, heavy object lifter and too-high-to-reach retriever, and permanent partner in crime. I also get to enjoy the perks of having a live-in spider killer, breakfast-in-bed-maker, and chauffeur. Marriage kind of rocks. But the best part about all this is that these aren't the best things!

It reminds me of when I wrote this post about loving the Giver over the gifts. And now that I'm married I can most definitely say a hearty 'amen!' to that post in that, yes, I super duper appreciate all the things that my man does for me, but more than that, I love HIM. And I love him for him, not for all the perks (although dem perks be niiiiice].

So in the middle of this second week of marriage, I'm considering how much I love this man I've decided to hitch my wagon to for the rest of my life. And I'm considering how good my God is to give me such a great gift—a husband who is also an amazing gift-giver, who gives me himself every day. He's mine... and how lucky I am for that!

//photos via our amazingly talented photographer, Availeth Photography

Giver > Gifts

Do you desire what God can give you more than you desire Him?

This would be like [as ladies] yearning for the lawn to be mown, the car to be fixed, and the spiders to be killed—when in reality we're really yearning for the intimacy with a man from whom those gifts might flow. It's the same with God- when I'm yearning for spiritual gifts, or blessings, or answers to prayers, I'm actually desiring the intimacy with God that those gifts would naturally flow from.

We should choose the Giver over the gifts. The Creator over the creation. But even as I write this I know there's still something wrong with my thinking... as I write "should."

So my simple reminder today and probably for the rest of my life [because let's be real, lessons like this aren't just learned overnight] is this: Giver > Gifts. The Giver is more important than, bigger than, and to be desired, loved, worshipped, enjoyed, savored, yearned for, and thanked over the gifts.

Notice my reminder isn't Giver Gifts. Gifts are still good! Heaven knows my heart flutters for my man every time he saves me from a giant spider [one of the non-perks of an older place], but if that's all I want him around for then there's a problem. Gifts are good. The Giver is better. Seek HIM first, friends. He is bigger. He is better. All good things flow from Him.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. —Matthew 6:33