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   “Wives, understand and support your husbands in ways that show your support for Christ.  The husband provides leadership to his wife the way Christ does to his church, not by domineering but by cherishing….Husbands, go all out in your love for your wives, exactly as Christ did for the church – a love marked by giving, not getting….”  ~Eph. 5:23-25 (The Message Bible)

Dave and I celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary this week.   When people ask us how long we’ve been married, we reply, “14 1/2 wonderful years….the other 6 months was hell on earth!”

Before we got married, one of my college professors called me into his office and said, “Brigette, I don’t think you should marry David.   You’re too different, it’ll never work” .  After getting married, we constantly had people point out our differences and  found ourselves being pulled into that type of thinking.

During our first year of marriage, we had 6 months of “honeymoon bliss” and 6 months of “marital hell”.  We both have very strong personalities and are, in fact, very different.  But those differences have – over time – been the exact things that cause our marriage to run like a fine-tuned  engine.  You see, we finally realized (after our first few years of marriage) that my weaknesses are his strengths and his weaknesses are my strengths!  When you change your way of thinking, your whole perspective changes.  This one revelation completely changed our marriage! 

We learned to work together instead of against each other!

Because we completely trust each other, there’s no manipulation, no domination, no jealousy, and no fear of allowing each other to be who God created us to be.  My husband is my strength, my “stabilizer”, my comfort, my protector, and my very best friend.  Just the sound of his voice brings peace to my spirit and joy to my heart.  He is the only man I have ever trusted; and when I am afraid or feeling discouraged, I can always count on him to wrap his arms around me and assure me that everything will be alright.

What’s amazing is the more time I spend with God and the closer I get to Him, the more thankful I am for my husband and the more I love him!  It’s like that because God designed it to be like that.   When we are overflowing with God’s love, it spills out into other people’s lives.  What better place to start than with our own family!

I choose everyday to serve Dave – not out of obligation or because he demands it.  I serve him because it’s my pleasure to treat him like “the king of our palace”.   That’s right!  He’s the king of our home.  You know what that makes me???  You got it…the queen.  That means, I follow his lead.  I submit to his authority.  By doing so, I can rest not only in the protection of my husband, but also in the protection of the Almighty God because our house is in Biblical order.

I can honestly say today that I am blessed and highly favored of God!  He has blessed me with a wonderful husband and two adorable children who love God and obey their parents.

If you’re struggling or “bored” with your marriage, let me encourage you today:  Seek God’s Word and be open to His leading.  Be willing to do what He says for you to do.  Lay  down your “guard” and “put on” a loving, giving spirit.  You might be surprised by the results!