Unwrap A Gift

We love because he first loved us. (John 4:19)

Yesterday I celebrated my one year anniversary with my husband.  I still can’t believe we have been married one year!  God has been so good to me.  It makes me think back to when I wrote my vows for our wedding day.  I remember thinking love is a choice.  Yes, I felt in love with Paul.  I loved him with all my heart, but I knew there would be days where we wouldn’t see eye to eye on things, so I wanted my vows to reflect what Jesus would want from me in my marriage.  I am able to love because God first loved me.  Is this not one of the greatest gifts we have in life?  I have the freedom to love my husband because God has decided to love me first.  He has shown His love through His faithfulness in every story throughout the Bible, but most of all through the birth, life, death, and resurrection of His Son.

Now I have the choice, the opportunity to love my husband!  Wow!  So this takes me back to a moment on Clearwater Beach where I said some very important vows to my husband that I meant with my entire heart.  Here is just a small portion of those vows…

As a little girl, God started to prepare my heart for you.  My dad took me to a special place to begin a journey in prayer and purity.  Those prayers unfolded into dreams of all that God knew you would be.  During my quest for you, I couldn’t have imagined the beautifully wrapped gift I see before me.

You are God’s treasure to me with colors I couldn’t have painted as wonderfully as God has.

You are a priceless work of art, a true masterpiece, one of a kind.…..

…..There are many different shades of blue I see in you.  One to represent every single strength I see in your eyes.  Your sincerity, your honesty, your ability to communicate, your integrity, your discipline, your love, your generosity, your meekness, your absolute desire to fully follow the Lord.

More than anything I look into your eyes and I see that God has begun a beautiful love story.  The story He is writing is better than anything any pen could ever write so on this day I choose to offer Him this pen to signify that every day from here on is His to write.  May He be the One to write the moments, the breaths, the laughs, the joys, the tears, the bumps and bruises, the strengths and weaknesses, EVERYTHING!  All that we will share in our lifetime together.  This is His story to write!  I look forward to living out this love story with you.

Violet the color of royalty.  The most important  vow I will keep in this marriage is to always put God first and to make sure He stays at the center of our marriage. It’s because He loves me that I have the privilege to now love you; my Forever Love of a Lifetime!

Love comes from God.  It is a gift from Him.  We are able to unwrap that gift every day!  Yesterday, I reflected on the 365 days of love I have been able to share with my husband.  Each one has been special in it’s own way.  Yes, like I shared in my vows…there were times of laughter, times of tears, times of strength, times of weakness, etc.  In all of it, we have learned from each other and grown closer to the Lord.  It has been my privilege to be loved by my husband and to learn from him what it’s like to be loved by the Creator of LOVE!

The vows we made on the beach one year ago are similar to the vows we make to God on a daily basis.  We accept God’s love when we accept His Son into our lives, but do we give love in return?  How many times have you loved your neighbor today?  How many times have you forgiven someone who has wronged you today?  How many times have you taken time to do something that is maybe a little unsettling for you?  Are you willing to go out of your way to love in the way that God would have you love?  Remember, we have the ability to love because He first loved us!  Unwrap this package wisely.  First, take off the nice looking bow.  Then open the box and see the love that’s stored inside for you and others that you meet during the day.  Third, don’t leave any of the love in the box for tomorrow because tomorrow God will supply you with a brand new gift!  Give love freely, as it has been given freely to you.

Dear Abba Father, Your arms of love comfort me every day!  Yes, I am so grateful for my husband and the love that he pours into me everyday, but I realize the love He pours into me all comes from You.  I pray that we will continue to grow close to You and that You will always be the center of our marriage.  May we love others, as You have loved us and are continuing to love us every day!

Unwrapping Your Gift of Love Today,