Chase and I met with some of our soon-to-be-engaged friends for dinner and a game of Settlers the other night. They had several questions about pre-planning, what to do during an engagement period, who should they get counseling from, what counseling should consist of, and much needed advice on buying their first home. Of course, we enjoyed answering the questions with confidence (now that we are pro's, of course). However, it led me to my thoughts about the counseling and wisdom that we have received throughout our engagement.
**Side note**Friends, we have some dearly loving and wise people in our lives. Now, more than ever in my life am I realizing what a Christ-like family looks like, acts like and how being involved with imperfect people, yet who love and model a perfect God, are irreplaceable.
At the beginning of the year, Chase proposed the idea of choosing 5 couples each that we admire and respect, meet with them over coffee, lunch or dinner, and ask them questions about what a Christ-centered marriage looked like to them at the beginning and now....
Some examples:
When did you know that you were ready to be married to him/her?
How long were you engaged?
What is your advice about sex?
Do you believe in date nights?
Out of the ten couples, we met with 8. Yes, our spring was busting at the seams with double dinner dates. The responses we got were challenging, exciting, filled with laughter and even tears. As an almost married person, I feared pre-marital counseling. Would it bring out some creepy monster inside Chase or me? Would big life decisions change our minds about marriage all together? None of that happened. Glory! We are still engaged and more ready than ever to walk down the aisle. Praise the Lord! He is so good at revealing Himself.
After those sessions with our wise folk friends/family members, I am excited to one day sit across from newly engaged couples and say, "what I am about to tell you is not the perfect story of marriage, but I guarantee that Christ as the center will make all those other imperfections complete dissipate and in the end, you and your soon to be husband, will see Christ. Standing in all His glory, He will make known to you that you were in His perfect will all along. Here's how he has and is showing Us.
To my friends and closest family members,
We love you. We thank you. We are praying for you. We want you to realize that what Christ is doing in his body of believers is coming to pass and that you are part of it! We praise Him for you. We want to celebrate with you next weekend, not because there will be cheesecake or the fact that my dress is amazing, but because we are family and Saturday Chase and I will become one. Celebrating with you all will be our greatest delight.
Busy weekend and week ahead. As a reader, whether you know Christ or not, I pray that you might be touched by what the Creator is doing. He has made known to us the paths of LIFE; He will fill us with joy in His presence (Ps 16:11) :)
