Guest Blogger: Nicole Cole
One year of marriage. One WHOLE year of marriage. When I really think about these first 365 days of marriage, I realize that it is just a blink compared to the lifetime of moments and days and memories we have left to share. Babies will come, moves will happen, new jobs will begin, heartbreak will strike. That’s the beauty of life, I think. Knowing that there’s good and bad, but knowing that the Lord has given us the promise of His Spirit and His love. Knowing that He’s blessed us with husbands, wives, friends, and family to walk through each and every season. This newlywed season has been one of the very best seasons I’ve experienced in my short twenty-something years of life. It’s special in so many unique ways that I never even thought about before now.
There are little things that make my heart skip a beat and things that bug me that I didn’t even know would be an issue. Just the other day a situation arose and my first instinct was to be frustrated or mad, but then the Lord screamed “GRACE!” into my heart. Brides, being a wife is so much more than planning for a wedding day, wearing a white dress, and partying with your friends. Marriage is dying to yourself on a daily basis and choosing to love, respect, and give grace to someone else. Marriage is the earthly relationship that mirrors the relationship God has with His bride, the Church. This is HUGE, friends.
I spent so many early mornings and late nights praying over our marriage and digging into the Word and finding out what the Lord had to say about marriage. I prayed fervently that Jesus would come and fill that barn with His presence. I prayed, oh I prayed, that He would give me clarity and that I would be fully present in every single moment. The Lord was faithful.
Brides, I can only encourage you to PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for your marriage. Pray that the Lord would show up on that sweet wedding day of yours. Pray that He would protect your marriage. I’m only a little ways in and I can already tell you that our marriages are something to protect. Something we have to FIGHT for. Fight for your man. Love him with fierce passion and pray that the Lord would prepare you to be not only a bride, but a wife. I will forever have a soft spot in my heart for March the 8th. I will always love our engagement and the fun times that we had with the people who love and encourage us most. This is such a time of preparation. Use it not only to prepare for your wedding day, but use it to prepare for your marriage.
I encourage you, commit to pray daily for your wedding day and for your marriage. Start reading scripture about what marriage means and what it will look like for you as a wife. I can tell you from experience, your wedding day will be SO full of joy when you’ve prepared your heart, mind, and spirit for it!
Brides, you have such a special season ahead. Your wedding day will be a beautiful. It will be one of the most incredible days of your life. But, real, raw, tender moments in life shared with your husband are special in ways that are nearly impossible to describe. Joy. So much joy.
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