Here Comes the Bride....

This has been an absolutely CRAZY week. We have had graduations, luncheons, showers, and everything else you can imagine. It is hard to believe that the big day is only 2 days away! As we have been so busy planning Melinda's wedding, I have had the chance to think back on the day Rob and I got married.

At the time, we were not walking a Christian road. We made some choices that cost us dearly. Our wedding was short, sweet and simple, yet now it means so much more to me. We have had a long hard road , but I will always be thankful for those experiences along the way. They have made us love one another so much more, doing our best to never take each other for granted. It can all be gone in an instant! They have also made us realize that God is the ONLY glue that will hold a marriage together. Love can take you far, but that human love will inevitably fail you at some point.

God's love is never changing.

I remember repeating that so many times when I felt like my life was crumbling in on me. But now I can see His hand in all of it. I believe that if we had never had those experiences, I would have remained lukewarm in my relationship with Him. Instead, He grew me more than I could have ever imagined. And what He did for Rob, I can never explain. Only that it is a complete miracle, in the fashion that only God could design.

I guess I say all of this to get to this point.....
We have all been dealt hands that we felt were unfair. That we felt we didn't deserve. That we felt were someone else's fault.....
We can choose to be angry at God and run from it, or we can choose to cling to Him and the promise he has given us. I never realized this until we got back from Nicaragua last summer. While we were there, both Rob and I shared some of our experiences with our marriage, pregnancies, poor choices, and the consequences of holding onto the anger. When we got back, we were able to share with several others in their times of need. It was then that I could appreciate where we had been, but more so, I was amazed at how far we had come.

I can now realize that God DOES have a purpose for everything. We must take the tough experiences and use them for His glory. Only then can we find peace with our past.

I am so thankful for Rob and what he has meant to me the past seven years. I love him with all of my heart, and could never imagine spending my life with anyone else.

So....my last minute advice for Melinda and Jon? Love one another with everything you have. Never take each other for granted. Never pass up the opportunity to let one another know how much you love them. Pray for one another daily. But most of all.....never put God in the passenger's seat. If He drives, you will never be lost.

I love you both and look forward to sharing this weekend with you.