Looking Forward to the New Decade

2020 will begin in the blink of an eye. 

The new year always brings the prompt of goal setting...when I was single, it looked and felt a lot different. As a married woman, goal setting holds a new weight. 

Goals must be made and committed to with a new weight; whether I/we reach goals or not affects both of us. This brings increasing responsibility but also...it brings a larger sense of purpose. I may have more responsibility now, and my actions affect my husband in ways I need to be cognizant of...but the larger sense of purpose is something I never felt before. We are a family unit, we act together, labor together, cry together, celebrate together, learn together, love together.

God knew what He was doing when He created marriage. The ability to be selfish in singleness with relatively little consequence has been taken away in marriage, replaced by responsibility to serve and encourage your spouse. This position puts you in a front row seat as God engages the hyperdrive into sanctification. You are confronted with your selfishness and sin in a way you never experienced as a single person.

Is marriage hard? Absolutely! That's how you know it's working!

Do I regret marriage? Absolutely NOT! It is one of the best ways to grow into a person more like Jesus!

Is marriage great? Absolutely, if you take the time to love and nurture it!

"Naughty & Nice" themed Christmas project/gift

This, coming from someone who's only been married 8 months...take that as you will. But I have discovered that one of the best things you can do for your marriage is to remain thankful for each other. The big things, the little things. Say these things daily, to yourself, to them. Write them down. Make it into a song. Collect them. Find ways to thank them in unique ways everyday, saying, "Thank you for being you. Thank you for doing this for me, for our family. I see you, what you do, and I appreciate it."

Don't. Take. Your. Spouse. For. Granted.
Don't. Feed. Your. Contempt. For. Your. Spouse.

I write these things for myself as much as for the next person. Marriage is work, love is work, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. But the rewards are sweet.