Anniversary Day

Four years ago today I was overly consumed with a big poofy white dress and marrying one awesome man before a church full of our family and friends. Wow. The past 4 years have been wild! Technically, it's more like 10. Up and down with jobs, buying a new house, having the dog-child Clarence in our lives...it's been wild. I've learned you can only make so much lemonade before you want to chop down the lemon tree. Or even sometimes I don't really like lemonade! We've had our share of ups and downs and valleys and mountains. I've learned a lot in the past four years, but even more in the past few weeks. I've learned a lot about what your friends won't say. There are so many parts of marriage no one mentions, until you open up and realize the rest of the world has been right there in your shoes. I've learned that marriage is never easy, and you can't fool yourself into always believing in fairy tales. (And boy, do I love a good fairytale!) I've learned that marriage was not created to be a blissful perk while we're on earth, but more of a place where two people, or an entire family, are nurtured into becoming stronger Christians. I've been doing a lot of reading, talking and praying these past few weeks.

Most importantly, is how suddenly I see how God should fit into this picture. It doesn't matter where you were, what's in your past, or how far you've come. All that matters is this moment and how you choose to live today. Every situation and person has a reason for being in our lives and touching our hearts in some way. No regrets, just onward we march, on our knees! :-)

It's kinda like that old saying - "If Mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy". I'm learning that the relationship you have with God is a lot like that saying. If you don't have your joy filled through Christ, you'll never be happy. There will always be voids that need filling. No matter how much running you do from God, we each have to be reminded daily that our marriage to Him as Christians should remain the most important thing in our lives, or we won't (and can't) be blessed in other areas.

God gives us experiences to build our character, not character to build our experiences. It's what you take, learn and GROW from each encounter that defines who you are growing in Christ to become. I have been nurtured in the past few weeks by awesome friends, and I thank God each day for my little village. I pray that my village of friends continues to grow with friends of faith.