Okay, so we don't own it, but it's SO nice to have our own home - pretty much for the first time since we've been married. We did have a short three months in a trailer (a very nice trailer with adorable, homemade curtains and an enormous backyard) right after we got married, but we knew we would be moving out, so we didn't really settle in or make it "home."
Now we have a spacious, three bedroom ranch with a large kitchen, a big bathroom (yay, no more "Move over!"), and a great backyard. What's more, we're here for at least a year and a half! It's nice to be unpacking, sorting, decorating, deciding where things go...
It's also yet another lesson in holiness that comes with marriage. I think EVERY engaged couple should read "Boundaries in Marriage" (Cloud & Townsend) and "Sacred Marriage" (Gary Thomas). Marriage is not about happiness. Nor is it, as Piper so well states, "... mainly about being in love. It's about telling the truth with our lives. Staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant and putting the glory of Christ's covenant-keeping love on display." This means that my husband who I adore more than any other person on the face of this planet challenges me, pushes me to grow, tells me hard truths about myself, shows me sin in my life that I need to purge.
There's nothing like moving and unpacking to remind me to keep my attitude in check. I pride myself on my efficiency, cleanliness, and organization, but I find that I seldom show grace when other people don't meet my standards on how quickly, how thoroughly, or how clean things get done. Especially when I am tired from packing, lifting, loading, unpacking ... and finding thick layers of dust and grime everywhere, little odds and ends that were left behind by the landlord, half-broken blinds that are yucky to the touch. By the time Nich comes home after working hard all day, I've been unpacking, putting away, and cleaning for nearly ten hours, AND I've made dinner. So I think I have a right to be grumpy at him. But I don't, and yesterday, Nich told me that sometimes, he feels like I am very impatient with him. My first instinct was to retort, but I know that what he said is true. I am very impatient with him.
My prayer today is that I will exercise grace towards those around me, particularly my husband, who really is my very own superhero. And that everyone in our community group tonight will be respectful of our request to vacate our house by nine o'clock so we can get a few things done tonight before bed! :~)
Now we have a spacious, three bedroom ranch with a large kitchen, a big bathroom (yay, no more "Move over!"), and a great backyard. What's more, we're here for at least a year and a half! It's nice to be unpacking, sorting, decorating, deciding where things go...
It's also yet another lesson in holiness that comes with marriage. I think EVERY engaged couple should read "Boundaries in Marriage" (Cloud & Townsend) and "Sacred Marriage" (Gary Thomas). Marriage is not about happiness. Nor is it, as Piper so well states, "... mainly about being in love. It's about telling the truth with our lives. Staying married is not about staying in love. It is about keeping covenant and putting the glory of Christ's covenant-keeping love on display." This means that my husband who I adore more than any other person on the face of this planet challenges me, pushes me to grow, tells me hard truths about myself, shows me sin in my life that I need to purge.
There's nothing like moving and unpacking to remind me to keep my attitude in check. I pride myself on my efficiency, cleanliness, and organization, but I find that I seldom show grace when other people don't meet my standards on how quickly, how thoroughly, or how clean things get done. Especially when I am tired from packing, lifting, loading, unpacking ... and finding thick layers of dust and grime everywhere, little odds and ends that were left behind by the landlord, half-broken blinds that are yucky to the touch. By the time Nich comes home after working hard all day, I've been unpacking, putting away, and cleaning for nearly ten hours, AND I've made dinner. So I think I have a right to be grumpy at him. But I don't, and yesterday, Nich told me that sometimes, he feels like I am very impatient with him. My first instinct was to retort, but I know that what he said is true. I am very impatient with him.
My prayer today is that I will exercise grace towards those around me, particularly my husband, who really is my very own superhero. And that everyone in our community group tonight will be respectful of our request to vacate our house by nine o'clock so we can get a few things done tonight before bed! :~)
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