Eight years ago today, my husband and I started a journey together called marriage! We were so young but yet the Lord had a plan for us and I'm so glad we followed his lead, got married and started a family. It's been an adventure of a life time!
I can't believe how fast time flies. The journey has been so worth it. I'll admit we did have plenty of hard days, weeks and even months. Our fifth year was especially hard. I had a lot going on and things weren't all glamorous. We had little kiddos and I was a stay at home mom, life seemed to have turned out different than I expected it too. But I thank God so much for not giving up on us and for my husbands unwavering love and devotion to me. We made it through the difficult times and are reaping the reward. That doesn't necessarily mean it's never tense now but the shakiness of our relationship has grown stable and there is a sense of security in that.
Sometimes I wish our relationship had the maturity of a much older marriage but then I realized that in order to achieve that you have to work through these years to attain that unity and growth. So I'm thankful for what we have now and the new things we learn everyday about each other.
I'm so grateful that we serve a God we can lean on when times get tough. He carries us through them and is so gracious. He designed marriage for us as a gift, but it's our job to keep Him first, so that He can show us how to enjoy it and live it to the fullest.
Marriage is a gift but it comes in the form of a Lego box; you can see what you want on the outside but when you open it, all you get are tons of pieces and you need to put in the effort to build the beautiful creation.
Marriage stretches us, and then if you add a child or two or three or more to the mix, it gets harder. And it doesn't get any easier but the irony in that is; the more you pour into your spouse and choose to live selflessly the more content and full your life becomes.
So no matter where you are in your marriage today, I beg you, please don't give up! If you seek help and put Jesus at the center or your life he will help you overcome. Time heals if you'll forgive and extend love and grace. It's not an easy process but there is beauty at the end, if you choose to walk through it. I heard this saying once, "only through effort do we enjoy comfort" and I think we can apply that to marriage. It takes effort to freely enjoy each other but it's totally worth it!
I commend those couples that have been married for ten, twenty, forty years and are still together with each other to the end. If you ask them what their secret is they will most likely say "we grew up in a time that when something broke, you fixed it instead of throwing it away." It's so true and very powerful. May the Lord give us all the strength, courage and grace to fight for our lover, our marriage and our families.
****A note to to my beloved husband.****
I love you my dearest sweetheart, you are the best thing that's ever happened to me. Thank you for sticking with me through thick and thin and for not giving up on me. For helping me become the person I am today and for supporting me all the way. I love the life we share together. We've had many wonderful adventures and I'm excited for many many more. Eight years, four kids and three states later I would still live in a tent with you. ;) The Lord has been so good to us, I hope and pray we can shine His love through our marriage and relationship. May we have the heavenly marriage that you prayed for us on our wedding day. I love you darling with all my heart. I couldn't be more proud to be your wife. You are a wonderful husband and life with you is a gift that I will treasure, always. Happy eighth anniversary my love.
Forever your, Natashinka. 💞
