T minus 20, and counting!

Less than three weeks until I'm a married man! Thank you, Lord. I'm so excited! I know I've said it before, but this has been such an incredible experience for me. The things that God has taught me, and has taught Naomi and I as a couple, have been amazing. And this is just the beginning!

Naomi has been a constant source of encouragement to me. These last few weeks have been a bit difficult, and there has been lots of seeking God's will in some decisions about our wedding. To be honest, it has been really tough. I have been in tears before God numerous times. Tears of desperation, tears of repentance, tears of fear and hurt. God was teaching me an awful lot about trusting Him and waiting on Him, even when from a human perspective, that seemed to be a foolish thing to do. Lots of people that I know and respect felt that I should make a decision on my own. They didn't all come out and say it explicitly, but they seemed to think that I was wasting valuable time in putting off this decision until I had clearly heard from the Lord. It was hard, and I came close to doubting that God had a plan for all of this. But He did, and He does, and regardless of what the outcome is, I am so very thankful for the things He has taught me 'the hard way' through all of this.

What I am also so very, very thankful for is the way that Naomi responded to all this. Though I explained to her as best I could how I felt God leading me, she didn't necessarily hear the same things from Him. Looking back, I can see that this might have been a lot more about my relationship with God than it was about a specific decision. But the amazing, awesome part was that she stood by me through it all. Even though she had to listen to people questioning our wisdom and timing even more than I did, she was so very supportive of every decision I made for us. She showed grace to me time and time again. She stood right beside me, content to follow me as I followed God's leading. What an incredible encouragement she is to me! And what a Godly example!

God has given to a husband the responsibility of spiritual leadership, and by His grace He has allowed me to take up that role. To a wife He gives the responsibility of followership and obedience in Christ to her husband, and He has blessed Naomi with the patience and faith to fulfill her role as well. Praise be to our Almighty Savior! I cannot wait to marry this girl!


Lord, thank You so very, very much for the struggles You place in our lives. There are so many opportunities to grow closer to You through the hard times. Thank You for blessing me with a fiancee who is faithful to You, who loves You with all her heart, who strives to serve You as her Lord and Master. I couldn't ask for a better woman to spend the rest of my life with! You have blessed us so richly, Father!