One Year

One year ago today,

we made promises to each other and to God...

And exchanged these...

And asked God's blessing on our marriage...

To become who we are today:

married-one-year

husband and wife

best friends

lifetime partners

a team to serve God

lovers for eternity.

I could not have imagined the sorrows and the joys,

the incredible blessings,

the hard things and the easy,

the amazing life that God would give us

in just this first year.

When people ask how married life is, I tell them,

"It's the hardest and the best thing I've ever done."

Nope, marriage isn't easy.

But it is good.

And it is so worth all the struggles

for the countless moments of happiness

that result from working hard

and especially from God's grace to us.

I love my husband more now

than I thought would be possible a year ago.

And I know

that with God continuing to bless, keep, and teach us,

the love between my husband and me

will keep growing every day.

"How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called

children of God!

...Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.

Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.

Whoever does not love does not know God,

because God is love."

-1 John 3:1; 4:7-8

I apologize for the poor picture quality...my computer doesn't like uploading the high-quality photos our photographer took!

Lessons from Ivy