E L E V E N

E L E V E N  Y E A R S of marriage.  Aside from serving Jesus, I don't think there is anything else that I have done for that length of time. Given our backgrounds my husband and my marriage is an absolute miracle that I give the glory to God for. He for one would not be married if it weren't for Jesus...and I most likely would have gotten into some toxic relationship that if I got married would quickly end in D I V O R C E. 

This past May we celebrated eleven years! Each year I reflect on nuggets of truth that I have learned in my marriage. Here are a few things I wish I had learned early on or before I got married.

B A G G A G E. F R E E.
If you know my testimony, I got saved at a very early age and was married soon after that. My character hadn't quite gotten a chance to catch up with my conversion. Many of my past experience ate away at me and made it difficult for me in the early years of marriage.

S A M E . T E A M .
Early in marriage there was great satisfaction in 'winning' the argument. As the years have past,  I now understand, either we both W I N or we both L O S E.  We are on the same side, so fighting against my hubby is the equivalent to fighting myself!

C O N F I D E N C E
Due to my early start in life, I never really got the chance to get to know who I was and be O K with that. I so desperately just wanted to please everyone, my hubby included.  If I could do it all again I would be more confident of who I am in Christ and as a person.

Being married for over a decade is a milestone I could only dream of achieving.  Now that we are here, I realize there is much more work to be done!  Recently at a conference a pastor said ' Marriage is not for happiness but for the joining together to do the will of God. I believe that has been the foundation of Gary and my relationship and the glue that holds us together!

Happy E L E V E N years B A B E!