Year Two

It's official... Becky and I have completed our first year of marriage together. Last year around this time, I told Becky a few things in front of 300 people that I meant with all my heart. We sat in our hotel room a year later and repeated these vows to one another to serve as a reminder to one another about promises we had made, but more than that to re-commit this next year to serving each other out of our mutual love for the Lord. It haunts me to think that on average it takes a married couple 9 years to move from "I" to "we"... but I can honestly say that I want to be a "we" more than I want to be an "I" right now.

So I wanted to type out my vows to my beautiful bride as we begin another year that will inevitably leave us different than from when it found us... Lord Jesus, help us this year to be more like you and to stop at nothing to get there.

Becky, God in His wisdom decided it was not good for me to be alone.
So He made you to be my helpmate.
You are God's gift to me, perfectly suitable for my completion.
I receive you as my completion, just as you are with all your strengths and weaknesses.
Every quality in you is aimed at perfecting a quality in me.
I declare my love for you to be unconditional and nothing can discourage that love.
You are the Lord's primary tool to shape and conform me to the image of Jesus.
Therefore, I submit myself to you in the fear of the Lord that this might be accomplished and the Lord Jesus be glorified.
I choose to love you as Christ loves the Church.
I will provide for you.
I will protect you, give you loving leadership.
I honor you.
I am faithful to you.
I cherish you as long as we both shall live.

I love you sweetheart. Thank you for stopping at nothing to help shape and conform me to the image of Jesus. You are a wife that honors and serves the Lord in your service to me. You love me despite all circumstances, whether I'm in an angry mood, quiet mood, happy mood, or in a talkative mood. You love me in front of your friends, but even more so when no one is looking but me. I respect your willingness to live life and love how you push and pull me to areas that I would've formerly been afraid to travel. You are God's perfect gift to me. You're my wife, someone that I cannot and will not live without. How would I ever get dressed for church or pack for a vacation? I'm so thankful that I can talk to you and tell you the truth. I'm so thankful that you listen to me and that you tell me what you're thinking. I'm so thankful for your heart and for what it's doing to mine. I love you sweetheart... I always will.