I got Married!!:

This past week my life took a major change.  I got to marry Cole, my best friend and the love of my life.  It was a day I had been waiting for, for a very long time.  There were months of planning going into this day.  I spent a lot of time picking the wedding party, picking how the decorations should look with my mom, the food and desserts, who would officiate our big day,the DJ and photographer, etc.  It was fun planning the big day, up to the final details and knowing at the end of it, Cole and I would be married. 

First, I just want to comment on how beautiful the day was.  I can not believe we were blessed with such a beautiful day.  I have lived in Iowa my whole life.  I love it, but I am aware weather can be a major factor on a day to day basis.  There is humidity, there is just plain heat, there is a lot of rain or cloudy days, and there is a lot, and I do mean a lot of wind.  How Cole and I managed to get a day in August, no less, in the mid 70s temperature, sunny with a little cloud coverage, hardly any wind and no rain is beyond me.  I was just praying for sunshine and wind to be minimal.  I could not have believed I would have had this perfect of weather if I tried. 

I also was blessed with the people around me. My mom helping me plan really helped things go smoothly.  There really were only a few last minute details we had to buy or were forgotten, like a basket for the bubbles for example.  (Thanks Izzie-matron of honor for getting one the night before for me!) Then really the only major issue on the actual day was forgetting my veil at the hotel and my mom needing to run back right before the ceremony.  (Thanks mom-hoping this is just a funny story for the future).  

I am also grateful for my friend Caleb who was willing to officiate my wedding only a few short months before it occurred when our original officiant had something major pop up.  It was wonderful.  He did such an amazing job and he really helped capture everything Cole and I wanted to do in the wedding ceremony from signing of the marriage license, completing a unity candle, and doing our own personal vows.  Plus, there was also a wonderful speech he gave at the very beginning of the ceremony to build Cole and I up for our lifetime of marriage.  

There are many times I can look back on meeting Cole, and I can see how God was at work. Cole and I met through a dating app.  However, he was one of the first people I connected with on the dating app once I moved to Cedar Falls and had been very persistent in talking to me and starting conversations.  As I mentioned in my vows, he kept seeking me out and pursuing me, even before we officially met.  Then, since that first date, it has been natural and continuously growing stronger.    

There are some verses about becoming one body of Christ that I believe really captures what I want to do, stepping into this new life chapter of marriage.  These verses are Ephesians 5:30-33 which says, “for we are members of his body.  ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.’ This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

I love these verses.  We used quite a bit of them for our wedding ceremony.  I do want to make sure I am a very respectful and loving wife to my husband.  We are now one body.  We are one unit.  I am not just a single person on my own anymore.  For my whole life, I have been a single person.  Not to mention, I have also been an only child and for the first 18 years, was the only grandchild on my mom’s side.  All that to say, I have gotten really good about doing my own thing and being on my own.  Now I need to learn how to best work as a continuous team with my now husband.

The challenge for this week is not necessary to get married.  However, if you are about to get married, congrats! It is rather to think continuously about any new future endeavors.  Are you going through any major changes in your life?  Are you getting a new job or trying to go back to school?  Are you starting a new relationship  or a new friendship? Whatever new adventure, big or small, you are about to encounter, remember to go about it with God in mind.  

The second challenge is to be encouraged to be someone who prays over marriages.  A marriage is supposed to be a beautiful example of Christ and the church.  And it is also important to realize that many times Satan does want to take out these marriages.  There are temptations coming from Satan, so it is important that all members of the body, pray for the body, including praying over marriages. Cole and I would appreciate prayers as we step into this new life together. I pray we can be a good Godly example of Christ and the church.