Marriage: A Prayer Answered!

I have been thinking about my marriage lately.  My husband and I have been married for 11 years and in this season of our marriage, we are more in love with each other than we ever have been.  My husband and I  dated for 3 months, got engaged and married 3 months later. We attended the same church at the time and I was more acquainted with his father, mother and sister than I was with him; I only knew of him.  I remember receiving a voice-mail from him on my answer machine (remember those) one Sunday when I got home from church, asking me if he could take my daughter and I out for dinner.  I was really impressed by his thoughtfulness towards my daughter.  But, because I really didn't know him at the time, I didn't bring my daughter along.  Ladies, side-bar... don't introduce your children to every guy that asks you out until you are sure he's the one and you both are ready to make a commitment. Our first date was nice and different.  He was a gentleman from beginning to end; opening my car door, pulling out my chair at the dinner table and giving me his undivided attention the entire night.  Now, I don't know about anyone else, but for me, that was the first time that I had experienced a "REAL" date.  He dined me at Jimmy's Char-house; I had never been there before and the food was great.  At the end of our night we parted ways with a hug.  He wasn't looking for anything in return from the dinner and he wasn't trying to be sneaky.  I felt special and respected.  I'm not saying that every guy I dated was a jerk, but, my husband wasn't like them and what I felt with him, I had never felt with any other guy.

As things progressed and we grew closer, my life started to change; I started seeing myself differently and feeling different about who I was and my husband was the reason why.  He made me (and my daughter) a priority in my life; I was starting to fall in love with him and I was scared! I didn't want to mess this up.  What if I'm not the woman he is looking for? What if God didn't send him to be my husband? It was so good, so it couldn't be true; all these thoughts ran through my mind.  I laughed more when I was with him, we talked from sun up til sun down and he always wanted to be with me.  Was the Lord really answering my prayer?

A year before my husband and I started courting I wrote a prayer request to the Lord. It wasn't anything deep, just simple requests of what I wanted in a spouse, what I never had a in mate; to be a family-oriented man, who was raised in a good family, living for the Lord, strong, good with hands and loved his family.  I took this prayer and tucked it away, not knowing a year later the Lord would answer my prayer.

I am not an expert on marriage and nor would I say I was qualified to provide marriage counseling. What I hope to do through these next set of posts is encourage you to remember the beginning, enjoy the present and build the future of your marriage.  My prayer is that, as I tread down memory lane of my marriage and give testimony of the unfailing hand of God, you will be encouraged in your marriage.  Until my next post, take a moment and think about the first time you and your husband met, the first time he made you smile, the first time he made you feel like you could walk on clouds.  Go back to the first time you asked the Lord to; send you a husband, prepare you as a wife and give you a happy family.

Remember, the first time ...
Tynisha