I so wanted to write this post before today, but with New Year's resolutions, who cares when you actually start them!!! I am honestly encouraging a life change, not just a New Year's resolution that will quickly be dropped and the old habit easily picked up again.
I am writing to all you married folks out there. I am going to write a plea from someone who wishes she could make changes in her marriage today. Yet, that opportunity was stolen from me this August and I wish, with all my being, that I had the chance to be a different wife to my precious Conner. I wish that I had the opportunity, as you do, to make a conscientious decision to change my behavior towards, and my thought pattern about my dear husband! It's like that song, "You don't know what you got 'til it's gone," but with greater pain than can be explained in words. Words can't even come close to describing the pain of losing him!
I would love for you to pause right here, just for a minute. Close your eyes and imagine your life without your spouse. Imagine walking through this life lonely and without your other half. Imagine raising your kids (if you have kids) without that other person's help and input.
Wives: Imagine becoming, in an instant, the provider of your family. Imagine being stripped of your earthly protector. Imagine all decisions being your decisions instead of the two of you. Imagine being so lonely for his attention and affection (no matter how hard you might resist it now). Imagine all the wisdom to raise your children coming solely from you. Imagine walking through your life without his spiritual guidance. Imagine having to become strong, when for so long you have been able to rely on his strength and not your own.
Men: Imagine your help-meet being taken from you. Imagine the person who helps you to believe that you have what it takes being gone in a moment. Imagine being so lonely for her beauty and affection. Imagine raising your children without her gentleness and compassion. Imagine desperately desiring her nurturing gift as you raise your babies on your own. (I can only imagine what others things that a man might miss in his wife....I come at this from one angle you remember)
Now, after you have spent some time imagining what it would be like to lose your spouse, I would like for you to think about what you might regret in the way you spoke and acted toward your God-given gift.
You see, marriage was God's institution. In Genesis 2:18 we see that after God created Adam-the first man, He says, "It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him."
God created man and knew before time that he was going to be created for relationship. Man was first created for relationship with God. Then, man was created for relationship with woman. All the creatures, up until Eve were created out of the ground. Then, in such depth of beauty, God built this woman out of Adam's flesh. When God brought Eve to Adam after she had been skillful wrought, Adam says, "This [creature] is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of a man."
The verse that immediately follows is one that I hold so dear to my heart. Genesis 2:24 is an incredible description of what the Lord does through the union of a man and a woman. It says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." HE created this woman to go perfectly with this man-she was created out of the very substance of this man. Then, before there was even an establish, earthly family group, God says, "Man shall leave his father and mother." Adam, nor Eve had an earthly father or mother. God was creating the divine order of family before there was such a thing. After the command for the man to leave his father and mother, God gives something more beautiful than he had before in his father-and-mother family unit. God gives this man a woman (created to be suitable, adapted and complementary for him) to be united with and cleave to. He was not created to be united and cleave to his father and mother, he was created to be united and cleave to his wife. The definition of united is: come or bring together to form a unit or whole. The definition of cleave is: to adhere to, the stick fast to, become very strongly involved with or emotionally attached to (someone). So God's divine order of marriage is brought about with two actions: leave and cleave. Man was to leave his previous family unit and cleave to this new, created family unit. He was to leave what he had made from, and cleave to what he had been made for.
If we miss the order of this, we miss the fullness of what God designed. It is painful to leave what you have known. It is painful for parents and it is painful for children. But what God has created in the proper order and design is strikingly beautiful in comparison. We were not united and made one with our parents. We were not supposed to cleave to our father and mother. We were purposed to be one with our spouse. To be united to someone that you were created for is a glorious affair!
In the same manner, when we come to know Christ there is pain in leaving what we have known. There is pain in leaving our former way of living in sin and opposition to HIM. But, if we are faithful to obey HIS order, we will be introduced to something far greater and more beautiful than we could have imagined. Marriage was designed to imitate this concept. We were designed to be one with HIM, not one with our sin and perishing way of life!
If we jump to the New Testament teachings on this very verse we see Paul relating Genesis 2:24 with Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation of] Christ and the church." So, our union as man and wife is supposed to be an example of Christ and His union to His church. I don't know about you, but I can think of more times than I care to admit, when my words and behavior to/about Conner would be an embarrassing example of Christ and His church! Yet, many of us in our selfish state don't even look up long enough to understand the far-reaching effects of our marriage. We either don't care, or are oblivious to the fact that God instituted marriage to be something far more supernatural than we can muster up on our own. He created it to be an example, to an evil and dying world, of his love and care for those He willing came to die for.
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless]. Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church," Ephesians 5:25-29
Husband, how are you doing on loving your wife?
Are you giving yourself up for her and her holiness? Are you dying to yourself daily so that she might live out the fullness of God's Plan for her life?
How are you doing on sanctifying (set apart as or declare holy; consecrate) her by washing her in the water of the Word? Do you bathe her in the Holy Word of God? Are you actively working to present your wife as holy and faultless before the Lord?
In my marriage, Conner offered me a unique insight to this God that I had committed my life to, yet never really knew. Conner was a born-again Christian who walked daily with the Lord. Like I have said before, I had some really messed up views of my God. Conner believed what the Word said and he lived it out every day of his life. Through our marriage I experienced the most intimate relationship that I had ever had, up to that point. Through the deepness of that marriage I came to trust and love Conner like I had never even imagined I could. The purity of his love for me, and the forgiveness that he lavished on me pointed me to the Source of that love and forgiveness. You see, Conner was a great man, but he had a supernatural Source to draw from. When I was unlovable, Conner could love me with Christ's love. When I had done things that were unforgivable, Conner could forgive me with the forgiveness he had first received from Christ. When I was too much, I would not overwhelm him because he saw me with Christ's eyes. When I was not enough, he could see my worth as a daughter of the One, True King. Conner lived out Ephesians 5:25-29, and because of that love for me, I truly experienced the Lord for the first time in my life. There is supernatural revelation available for our spouses to experience in the living-out of HIS Plan for our marital roles!
"Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a service] to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the church, Himself the Savior of [His] body. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands......and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]." Ephesians 5:22-24, 33b.
Warning wives: I will have a lot more to say to you than to husbands! I was one!
Wife, are you submissive (ready to conform to the authority or will of another) to your husband? From what I can see.....it is not an option! There are no if/then statements here! "If he loves you, then you need to be submissive" does not show up here! "If he does what I want him to do, then I have to be submissive to him" is not written in the text. I see this as a command! Notice the Word says, "in everything". We are to be subject to him in everything. A follower of Christ is expected to be subject to Christ in everything-every area of his/her life! We have a chance to show this mystery in an earthly, God-created relationship! Through our marriage, we have an opportunity to show submission to Christ in the believer's life.
Wife, are you adapting, conforming your life to your husbands? He is not asked to conform his life to yours! There is deep beauty in this action! You see, the wife is to the husband, what the church is to Christ! We are to conform our life to our husband, as the believer is to conform his/her life to Christ's. Our submissive action to our husband shows such a great Truth and beauty in how the believer is to be submissive to God and His Will. God does not conform and adapt HIS Life to us, as husbands are not to conform and adapt their lives to the wife.
Are you daily choosing to respect and reverence (deep respect for someone) your husband in your words and actions?
Are you noticing him? Do you have a high opinion of him? Do you honor him with your words and actions? Do you prefer him over others? Do you venerate (regard with great respect; revere) him? Do you esteem (respect and admire) him? I am seeing a lot of respect words here!!!
Do you defer to him in everything? Maybe a better question for the modern woman is do you defer to him in anything....how far from HIS Truth we have strayed! Is he able to run your home, or are you holding fast to that position that was NOT designed for you?
Do you publicly praise him, or put him down? From the eye-opening experience I have had of losing my precious husband (who I loved dearly and respected above any other man), most of what turns my stomach is the catty wife conversations that I have sat through where wives are doing everything BUT publicly praising their husbands. Wake up wives....you are going against the Word of God! You are sinning! Repent and turn from your sin! Conform your life to HIS Word!
Do you love him and admire him exceedingly?
There is something supernatural that happens when we come in line with the Word of God. We get the chance to experience HIM in a deeper way than we could ever have imagined, and we become these beautiful, drawing beacons of HOPE to a world that is hurting and lost. Brokenness happens to all of us. Sin is common to each human that walks this earth. Hurt and pain are arrows that pierce every human heart. Yet we, as born-again believers, have this one, short life to shine HIS Hope into this world. We are allowed the opportunity to show Christ and His Love for the church through the relationship of husband and wife!
Conner was that bright light in my life. He showed me exceedingly more of God than any other person has ever come close. Christ through him, displayed a love for me that I could have only dreamt of. Conner lived out the role of a Biblical husband to his wife and in-turn I came face-to-face with the Savior that I didn't really even know. Conner introduced me to the love of my life. Conner led me to the husband that I so deeply longed for....Christ (Revelation 19:7-9).
I wish that I had put a date on this, but I wrote this probably years ago: "I wanted the security and protection of a husband. What I really needed was the security and protection of the One who would never leave me. You see, Conner could have left me, cheated on me, etc. Sometimes as women all we are waiting for is not really the picture perfect thing we were looking for. Conner is amazing, but what my heart was really after was a Savior!"
Oh, how different this paragraph sounds to me today! Conner could have left me, but what he did by living out his God-given role was to introduce me to the goodness of my Savior. We, as husbands and wives, can be this tool used by God to point our spouses to HIM. We can also be used by HIM to point others (those lost and those wandering) to the source of our supernatural union. We can imitate Christ and His Church. Whether you are on the church-imitation end (wives), or the Christ-imitation end (husbands), you have this breath of an opportunity to SHINE HIS indescribable Truth, Love and Freedom. Words fall so short for us, but actions are a mighty force that drive us to pay attention.
With the loss of Conner, I am seeing things very differently than most of you! I am sick many times when I see Christian marriages and the extremely poor representation of Christ and His Church. What a sad mess we are making of a God-given opportunity to glorify Him through a unifying relationship that will be like no other we will have here on earth. How disgusting it is that we allow our own selfishness to invade a holy union that was created to bring glory to His Name. I am appalled at the destruction Christians have allowed to seep in to the most sacred human relationship that God established.
I have an enlightened view on marriage because my husband was taken from me, in what I consider too early in life. The same as a parent who has lost a child has an enlightened view on the gift of a child. The same as a divorcee has an enlightened view on forgiveness and the importance of it in marriage. The same as a child who has lost a parent has an enlightened view of the value of honoring and obeying your parents. We are each given trials so that we may view this world through enlightened lenses. We are to glorify the Lord with our "new sight" and spread the Truth of HIS Word to those around us!
So, my charge to you today, as a married individual, is to begin your new life of glorifying the Lord in your God-designed role. If you have said "I do", then you have entered into a covenant relationship, like our covenant relationship with the Lord. Your job is to use that relationship to shine Christ to those around you. If you are a husband, your role is to imitate Christ and the sacrificial, deep loving relationship He has with His Church. If you are a wife, your role is to imitate the Church and it's relationship of reverence and conformity to Christ.
If I had Conner back, I would change so many things about my thoughts toward him, and my actions with him! I loved him dearly, but I could and should have done better with my role as his wife! I do not get that opportunity, but I pray that you would learn from me and choose to SHINE Christ more brilliantly through your marriage this year and every year to come.....no matter your spouses choices (no if/then statements)! We are given this one life, this one opportunity to impact as many people as possible for eternal purposes!
With His love and much prayer,
Kristin
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1
I am writing to all you married folks out there. I am going to write a plea from someone who wishes she could make changes in her marriage today. Yet, that opportunity was stolen from me this August and I wish, with all my being, that I had the chance to be a different wife to my precious Conner. I wish that I had the opportunity, as you do, to make a conscientious decision to change my behavior towards, and my thought pattern about my dear husband! It's like that song, "You don't know what you got 'til it's gone," but with greater pain than can be explained in words. Words can't even come close to describing the pain of losing him!
I would love for you to pause right here, just for a minute. Close your eyes and imagine your life without your spouse. Imagine walking through this life lonely and without your other half. Imagine raising your kids (if you have kids) without that other person's help and input.
Wives: Imagine becoming, in an instant, the provider of your family. Imagine being stripped of your earthly protector. Imagine all decisions being your decisions instead of the two of you. Imagine being so lonely for his attention and affection (no matter how hard you might resist it now). Imagine all the wisdom to raise your children coming solely from you. Imagine walking through your life without his spiritual guidance. Imagine having to become strong, when for so long you have been able to rely on his strength and not your own.
Men: Imagine your help-meet being taken from you. Imagine the person who helps you to believe that you have what it takes being gone in a moment. Imagine being so lonely for her beauty and affection. Imagine raising your children without her gentleness and compassion. Imagine desperately desiring her nurturing gift as you raise your babies on your own. (I can only imagine what others things that a man might miss in his wife....I come at this from one angle you remember)
Now, after you have spent some time imagining what it would be like to lose your spouse, I would like for you to think about what you might regret in the way you spoke and acted toward your God-given gift.
You see, marriage was God's institution. In Genesis 2:18 we see that after God created Adam-the first man, He says, "It is not good (sufficient, satisfactory) that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper meet (suitable, adapted, complementary) for him."
God created man and knew before time that he was going to be created for relationship. Man was first created for relationship with God. Then, man was created for relationship with woman. All the creatures, up until Eve were created out of the ground. Then, in such depth of beauty, God built this woman out of Adam's flesh. When God brought Eve to Adam after she had been skillful wrought, Adam says, "This [creature] is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of a man."
The verse that immediately follows is one that I hold so dear to my heart. Genesis 2:24 is an incredible description of what the Lord does through the union of a man and a woman. It says, "Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall become united and cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh." HE created this woman to go perfectly with this man-she was created out of the very substance of this man. Then, before there was even an establish, earthly family group, God says, "Man shall leave his father and mother." Adam, nor Eve had an earthly father or mother. God was creating the divine order of family before there was such a thing. After the command for the man to leave his father and mother, God gives something more beautiful than he had before in his father-and-mother family unit. God gives this man a woman (created to be suitable, adapted and complementary for him) to be united with and cleave to. He was not created to be united and cleave to his father and mother, he was created to be united and cleave to his wife. The definition of united is: come or bring together to form a unit or whole. The definition of cleave is: to adhere to, the stick fast to, become very strongly involved with or emotionally attached to (someone). So God's divine order of marriage is brought about with two actions: leave and cleave. Man was to leave his previous family unit and cleave to this new, created family unit. He was to leave what he had made from, and cleave to what he had been made for.
If we miss the order of this, we miss the fullness of what God designed. It is painful to leave what you have known. It is painful for parents and it is painful for children. But what God has created in the proper order and design is strikingly beautiful in comparison. We were not united and made one with our parents. We were not supposed to cleave to our father and mother. We were purposed to be one with our spouse. To be united to someone that you were created for is a glorious affair!
In the same manner, when we come to know Christ there is pain in leaving what we have known. There is pain in leaving our former way of living in sin and opposition to HIM. But, if we are faithful to obey HIS order, we will be introduced to something far greater and more beautiful than we could have imagined. Marriage was designed to imitate this concept. We were designed to be one with HIM, not one with our sin and perishing way of life!
If we jump to the New Testament teachings on this very verse we see Paul relating Genesis 2:24 with Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:31-32, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This mystery is very great, but I speak concerning [the relation of] Christ and the church." So, our union as man and wife is supposed to be an example of Christ and His union to His church. I don't know about you, but I can think of more times than I care to admit, when my words and behavior to/about Conner would be an embarrassing example of Christ and His church! Yet, many of us in our selfish state don't even look up long enough to understand the far-reaching effects of our marriage. We either don't care, or are oblivious to the fact that God instituted marriage to be something far more supernatural than we can muster up on our own. He created it to be an example, to an evil and dying world, of his love and care for those He willing came to die for.
"Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the church to Himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things [that she might be holy and faultless]. Even so husbands should love their wives as [being in a sense] their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself. For no man ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and carefully protects and cherishes it, as Christ does the church," Ephesians 5:25-29
Husband, how are you doing on loving your wife?
Are you giving yourself up for her and her holiness? Are you dying to yourself daily so that she might live out the fullness of God's Plan for her life?
How are you doing on sanctifying (set apart as or declare holy; consecrate) her by washing her in the water of the Word? Do you bathe her in the Holy Word of God? Are you actively working to present your wife as holy and faultless before the Lord?
How are you loving her as you love your own body?
Do you nourish her? Care for her needs?
Do you CAREFULLY protect her?
Do you cherish her, as Christ cherishes His Church-so much so that He gave His very life to save His church? Does she experience this great care and love for her, from you? Are you displaying Christ love for her through your words and actions to/about her?
In my marriage, Conner offered me a unique insight to this God that I had committed my life to, yet never really knew. Conner was a born-again Christian who walked daily with the Lord. Like I have said before, I had some really messed up views of my God. Conner believed what the Word said and he lived it out every day of his life. Through our marriage I experienced the most intimate relationship that I had ever had, up to that point. Through the deepness of that marriage I came to trust and love Conner like I had never even imagined I could. The purity of his love for me, and the forgiveness that he lavished on me pointed me to the Source of that love and forgiveness. You see, Conner was a great man, but he had a supernatural Source to draw from. When I was unlovable, Conner could love me with Christ's love. When I had done things that were unforgivable, Conner could forgive me with the forgiveness he had first received from Christ. When I was too much, I would not overwhelm him because he saw me with Christ's eyes. When I was not enough, he could see my worth as a daughter of the One, True King. Conner lived out Ephesians 5:25-29, and because of that love for me, I truly experienced the Lord for the first time in my life. There is supernatural revelation available for our spouses to experience in the living-out of HIS Plan for our marital roles!
"Wives, be subject (be submissive and adapt yourselves) to your own husbands as [a service] to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife as Christ is the Head of the church, Himself the Savior of [His] body. As the church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands......and let the wife see that she respects and reverences her husband [that she notices him, regards him, honors him, prefers him, venerates, and esteems him; and that she defers to him, praises him, and loves and admires him exceedingly]." Ephesians 5:22-24, 33b.
Warning wives: I will have a lot more to say to you than to husbands! I was one!
Wife, are you submissive (ready to conform to the authority or will of another) to your husband? From what I can see.....it is not an option! There are no if/then statements here! "If he loves you, then you need to be submissive" does not show up here! "If he does what I want him to do, then I have to be submissive to him" is not written in the text. I see this as a command! Notice the Word says, "in everything". We are to be subject to him in everything. A follower of Christ is expected to be subject to Christ in everything-every area of his/her life! We have a chance to show this mystery in an earthly, God-created relationship! Through our marriage, we have an opportunity to show submission to Christ in the believer's life.
Wife, are you adapting, conforming your life to your husbands? He is not asked to conform his life to yours! There is deep beauty in this action! You see, the wife is to the husband, what the church is to Christ! We are to conform our life to our husband, as the believer is to conform his/her life to Christ's. Our submissive action to our husband shows such a great Truth and beauty in how the believer is to be submissive to God and His Will. God does not conform and adapt HIS Life to us, as husbands are not to conform and adapt their lives to the wife.
Are you daily choosing to respect and reverence (deep respect for someone) your husband in your words and actions?
Are you noticing him? Do you have a high opinion of him? Do you honor him with your words and actions? Do you prefer him over others? Do you venerate (regard with great respect; revere) him? Do you esteem (respect and admire) him? I am seeing a lot of respect words here!!!
Do you defer to him in everything? Maybe a better question for the modern woman is do you defer to him in anything....how far from HIS Truth we have strayed! Is he able to run your home, or are you holding fast to that position that was NOT designed for you?
Do you publicly praise him, or put him down? From the eye-opening experience I have had of losing my precious husband (who I loved dearly and respected above any other man), most of what turns my stomach is the catty wife conversations that I have sat through where wives are doing everything BUT publicly praising their husbands. Wake up wives....you are going against the Word of God! You are sinning! Repent and turn from your sin! Conform your life to HIS Word!
Do you love him and admire him exceedingly?
There is something supernatural that happens when we come in line with the Word of God. We get the chance to experience HIM in a deeper way than we could ever have imagined, and we become these beautiful, drawing beacons of HOPE to a world that is hurting and lost. Brokenness happens to all of us. Sin is common to each human that walks this earth. Hurt and pain are arrows that pierce every human heart. Yet we, as born-again believers, have this one, short life to shine HIS Hope into this world. We are allowed the opportunity to show Christ and His Love for the church through the relationship of husband and wife!
Conner was that bright light in my life. He showed me exceedingly more of God than any other person has ever come close. Christ through him, displayed a love for me that I could have only dreamt of. Conner lived out the role of a Biblical husband to his wife and in-turn I came face-to-face with the Savior that I didn't really even know. Conner introduced me to the love of my life. Conner led me to the husband that I so deeply longed for....Christ (Revelation 19:7-9).
I wish that I had put a date on this, but I wrote this probably years ago: "I wanted the security and protection of a husband. What I really needed was the security and protection of the One who would never leave me. You see, Conner could have left me, cheated on me, etc. Sometimes as women all we are waiting for is not really the picture perfect thing we were looking for. Conner is amazing, but what my heart was really after was a Savior!"
Oh, how different this paragraph sounds to me today! Conner could have left me, but what he did by living out his God-given role was to introduce me to the goodness of my Savior. We, as husbands and wives, can be this tool used by God to point our spouses to HIM. We can also be used by HIM to point others (those lost and those wandering) to the source of our supernatural union. We can imitate Christ and His Church. Whether you are on the church-imitation end (wives), or the Christ-imitation end (husbands), you have this breath of an opportunity to SHINE HIS indescribable Truth, Love and Freedom. Words fall so short for us, but actions are a mighty force that drive us to pay attention.
With the loss of Conner, I am seeing things very differently than most of you! I am sick many times when I see Christian marriages and the extremely poor representation of Christ and His Church. What a sad mess we are making of a God-given opportunity to glorify Him through a unifying relationship that will be like no other we will have here on earth. How disgusting it is that we allow our own selfishness to invade a holy union that was created to bring glory to His Name. I am appalled at the destruction Christians have allowed to seep in to the most sacred human relationship that God established.
I have an enlightened view on marriage because my husband was taken from me, in what I consider too early in life. The same as a parent who has lost a child has an enlightened view on the gift of a child. The same as a divorcee has an enlightened view on forgiveness and the importance of it in marriage. The same as a child who has lost a parent has an enlightened view of the value of honoring and obeying your parents. We are each given trials so that we may view this world through enlightened lenses. We are to glorify the Lord with our "new sight" and spread the Truth of HIS Word to those around us!
So, my charge to you today, as a married individual, is to begin your new life of glorifying the Lord in your God-designed role. If you have said "I do", then you have entered into a covenant relationship, like our covenant relationship with the Lord. Your job is to use that relationship to shine Christ to those around you. If you are a husband, your role is to imitate Christ and the sacrificial, deep loving relationship He has with His Church. If you are a wife, your role is to imitate the Church and it's relationship of reverence and conformity to Christ.
If I had Conner back, I would change so many things about my thoughts toward him, and my actions with him! I loved him dearly, but I could and should have done better with my role as his wife! I do not get that opportunity, but I pray that you would learn from me and choose to SHINE Christ more brilliantly through your marriage this year and every year to come.....no matter your spouses choices (no if/then statements)! We are given this one life, this one opportunity to impact as many people as possible for eternal purposes!
With His love and much prayer,
Kristin
"Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Ephesians 5:1
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