not to us but to Your name be glory – intentionally

i love that when we got married he wanted us to be intentional about our ceremony – to intentionally decide how we would draw attention to God and carry that theme throughout with the singing, programs, etc. our theme verse was psm 115.1, “not to us, but to Your name be glory for Your steadfast love and faithfulness.” there are many things stylistically and aesthetically i would change about our wedding if i had to plan it all over again. but i wouldn’t change the focus of it. it wasn’t the bride’s day – it was God’s day.

i love that when we eat out, whether it’s hot dogs at coney island or the rare treat of steak and sea food at coach insignia, he tells God when we pray before eating how humbled we are and thankful for the abundant way He provides us w/ so much beyond our daily bread.

with that in mind, he regularly reminds us that the extras aren’t needs and keeps before us that when we have to do w/o, we need to guard our hearts from loving the gifts better than the Giver. after all, even kobe beef is mud pies when compared to Christ.

i love that when we got our stimulus check he taught us that just because we had extra money, it didn’t mean we had more to spend or even save, but more to give! and that’s what we did. he even did a little video documentary after we gave to others to remind us and our kids that we give freely b/c we’ve been given so much through Christ.

i love that he asks me how he can do a better job applying passages of Scripture to his own life as he’s studying and before he preaches/teaches on them. and i love how out of the blue he’ll often ask me how he can be a better husband to me and father to our girls.

i love that he fixed our front door last week even though he really didn’t have time to and probably would’ve rather done something to serve himself instead of his family. that’s just one example of the multiple times every day/week he puts us before himself.

i love loving what he loves…from buffalo wings (who ever would’ve thought i would like those?) to basketball.

i love that he loves books and puts himself on a reading schedule even though he’s not in school right now. i marvel that he can read a book a week and although i’m a slower reader, his example spurs me on!

i love that he makes me laugh. he says he married me b/c i would laugh at his jokes and he was always guaranteed an audience. 🙂 although after 7 years i’m more familiar w/ his material, i still laugh at it. he used to tell me it would stop being funny, but honey, i’m still loving your humor! 🙂 and maybe, just maybe, i’m even getting a little funnier after living w/ him! 🙂 a girl can dream, right?

i love that God is his life – not me, not his daughters, not even his iphone. 🙂 he wants to live radically for the Gospel and what this means for us now is just living the radical Gospel message in the sphere of influence where God has placed us. he talks about dying for the Gospel and living for the Gospel and it’s good for me to hear. after all, this world isn’t our home, and even this happy, happy home isn’t really our home.

we are created for something bigger and something even better. and so, matthew, most of all, i love you for helping me see beyond you to Jesus, my heavenly bridegroom. our wonderful marriage is just a foretaste of that perfect union we’ll one day have with Him!

so happy 7 years, babe. i’d marry you all over again in a heartbeat!