15 days... sometimes relationships take work

Naomi and I had a sort of difficult evening. Lots of stress for both of us, and more for her than for me. Details about the wedding, stress of getting ready to leave her family and move away, only being able to see each other on the weekends, feeling like we don't have the time to communicate and develop our relationship as much as we would like... it's been tough the last week or so. As we get down to the wire, it gets harder and harder. I need to keep reminding her that there is a light at the end of this tunnel, and that we're almost there. Not that everything magically gets better after the wedding, but there will be a LOT of stress reduction. Replaced, I'm sure, by new and different types of stress, but these wedding details have been a constand presence in our lives for what seems like forever now, and it will be nice to have them out of the way.


If you have any words of encouragement for either one of us, and you have a minute, it would be wonderful to hear from you. We would really love to hear it from any of you. In the comments, by email... whatever works for you. Any advice, thoughts, encouragement, warnings, words of wisdom... It would be great to hear right now. We're struggling. We don't want this to be just a 'hanging-on' period in our lives. We want to enjoy this time, and make the most of it. We want God to be glorified through it all. And honestly, it's really hard right now. Thanks...


Father, we need Your help. We need Your loving kindness in our lives. You have blessed us so richly in everything, and we are grateful to You for it all. You know our situation. Nothing that we're going through has taken you by surprise. You have a plan for it all, and You are working in our lives even through the hard times. We can see it, and we praise You for it. Please let us glorify You not just in the good or easy times, but through it all. Lord, protect us from Satan's attacks in our lives. He would love nothing more than to destroy a relationship that is centered around You. He would love to see us turn away from You and turn towards self-interest, or self-sufficiency. Please, please, Lord... We need your strength and grace now. God, show me how to encourage Naomi. I can't do it alone. Sometimes I have nothing left to give. I ask for Your strength so that I can encourage her. I ask for Your words that I may speak love to her even when I'm not feeling it. God, we need You.

Questions to ask myself daily

My beautiful fiancée sent me this list of questions. She has them in her Bible where she sees them each and every day. What a wonderful reminder to daily be seeking God. It is easy to go through a whole day and not put any work into my relationship with the Lord. Like any other relationship, our relationship with Christ is a work-in-progress. It takes effort, sacrifice, and a desire to grow closer to Him. While there is no 'magic formula' for a God-centered life, little reminders like this one go a long way towards focusing our attention and efforts at relationship-building.

• What experiences of prayer and meditation have I had this week (or today)?
• What temptations did I face?
  
• What movements of the Holy Spirit have I experienced?
  
• What opportunities to serve others have I had?
  
• In what ways have I encountered Christ in my study of the Bible?

I lost count... no, wait... 36 more days!

So I might not get a chance to post a 'real' something today, but I wanted to update the countdown and keep the trend going, at any rate.

As soon as my classes are done today I'm heading down to Waxhaw to see my beloved fiancee, and spend the weekend with her and my family. We're going to get our marriage license this afternoon, which is cool, and then we've got a date planned tonight, which I'm also looking forward to. With all this wedding planning going on, it seems that recently we've been spending a lot of time 'doing stuff' instead of spending time focusing on developing our relationship. So this is good.

That's something I really, really don't want to lose. I think it's not so easy to keep up the 'dating' mentality once a couple gets married. All the little special things they used to do for each other when they were dating fall to the side. The difference can be pretty huge between 'girlfriend' and 'fiancee' and 'wife'. And yet God calls us me to love our wives as we love ourselves, and to me, that means stepping it up a notch, not letting back down.

Anyway, there's lots more I want to write, but don't have time right now. So in the meantime, here's a couple of posts from some good marriage blogs I'm reading.

• Marriage Actually - Say What?
• The Art of Intimacy - Twenty Five Tips to Stay Married
• I Am Husband - Sex Begins in the Kitchen

Lord, grant me your love today, and let me show that love to Naomi as I spend time with her this weekend. Give me words that build up, that bring her closer to You, that encourage her. Let me be an example, and a leader in our relationship. Lord, I can't do this alone. I invite you once again into my life today, and I give you complete control of my thoughts, my words, and my actions. Let me be an example, an encouragement, and a witness. Let me be a mirror that reflects your Light into the world.