Marriage is Messy…and Beautiful

Since before I began blogging, I was blog reader. Okay, more of a blog groupie. I followed several female bloggers who not only inspired me, but shared the truth of God’s Word in such a beautiful way that I was literally captivated by their writing.

When I got married, I had visions of grandeur that life was going to be blissful and wonderful. We would be happy every day, never fight and if we did – we would most definitely make up before bedtime. I always wanted to be a mother and just knew staying at home with my kids was going to be absolutely amazing. They would be well-mannered and behave without me having to ask twice or raise my voice.

Yep…

I lived in a fairy tale. So when I got married and life was not all roses and bliss, I didn’t know what to do. It was rough. Within our first year of marriage I was pregnant and then at 12 weeks, we found out the baby had died in utero. I underwent surgery to remove our precious baby. We were devastated and neither of us knew how to respond or care for the other. So many nights we sat in silence, rather than talking with each other.

Fast forward a few years and between my husband working an overnight job, my exhaustion of caring for 4 kids (three under the age of 3), homeschooling and very little time to spend with each other – our marriage was suffering. While I was exhausted and tired most of the time, I tried to be the best wife and mate to my husband. But, there was still something missing.

It would be several more years before I would figure out and really understand what it meant to stand beside him during the tough times. I am still not always great at it and I do take things personally for him, which hinders my ability to be encouraging to him. But, God is using this time in our life to improve our marriage. He does that sometimes, ya know? He allows events and trials to occur in our lives to strengthen us. Yes, our faith may be tested, but with Him at the center of our marriage – we will come out stronger and closer to Him and each other.

I’m finally realizing and beginning to understand that it truly is a blessing and honor to be married and serve my husband. It’s not always easy and does take a lot of balancing, but I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. I am learning to lay down my own selfish desires when it doesn’t matter and choose him over me. I am learning to release my anger and seek peace instead. I am learning to let go of my own pride, so that I can meet his needs above my own. When I strive to do those things and put him first, Christ is glorified. And that…should be my goal.

I am so honored to announce a new book coming from Darlene Schacht of Time-Warp Wife that speaks directly to these situations and so much more. Messy Beautiful Love, is another wonderful book from Darlene that shows us even when marriage is tough and rough – Christ will see us through. Christian marriage is the combining of two lives – two sinners – who are striving to be more like Christ. But, it doesn’t happen overnight and isn’t always beautiful. In fact, it’s more messy than beautiful for most of us. But, with Christ as the center of your life and marriage, it can be both. And it is wonderful to walk that journey together.

It is a privilege to announce that Darlene’s new book is coming soon!!! It will be released September 16, 2014 – so pre-order your copy now!! If you pre-order your copy, you will also receive $50 in FREEBIES!!! If you pre-order through Amazon, shoot me an email with confirmation of your order so I can get your freebies sent to you! I am so excited about this new book and I can’t wait for you all to be able to read what I have! It’s truly amazing!!!

Pre-Order Messy Beautiful Love