You 

Why do I love you?

What do I love about you?

Well..

You are not afraid of being human. You admit fault when you see it without need to defend yourself.

I am. 

I've always been told how smart I am. How advanced. How fantastic my memory is. How witty. How beyond my years.

Well..

I don't often exemplify humility like you. Pride keeps me from moving forward. I allow my faults to slip through the cracks in my find in an attempt to fill them with something. Repair them. 

Not possessing the ability to admit that you are imperfect is one of the biggest flaws one can have.

I have it.

If I do something out of line, misstep, screw up.. I'm somehow blind to it until it has been bluntly pointed out to me. I'm tired of the justification. 

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry for creating an ideal of who I am in my head and defending who I believe myself to be with a vengeance. 

I'm sorry for putting that ideal above you at times. Above your feelings. You did nothing to warrant that treatment. 

Will you please forgive me? This is something I am convicted about, now that I have become aware of it. 

I love the things in you that I am not. 

The differences.

I've wondered why married couples gradually become like each other, in everything from personality to wardrobe, to expression.. 

To me.. I want to become like you in some ways. Because I admire you. 

I want your dedication to a dream.

Your faith to accomplish things.

From everything from beat-boxing to film.

I've never become really good at anything in particular; except being right. My one talent is getting old and I'm ready for a new hobby.

You've often believed in my abilities more that I have myself. Perhaps because I haven't given myself enough grace for failure. To be okay with looking foolish when it's not on purpose.  

I'm going to need support in this area. Loads of it. Will you help me?

I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go.

Why Should I Ever Get Married?

I've been contemplating the reason for entering into a union with someone. Why would you ever sacrifice your "freedom" to become one with another individual. You already have a ton of stuff to work on yourself. You know you do. Why would you throw yourself into a lifelong relationship with someone just as flawed and prone to fault as yourself? Why would you put yourself in a situation where you will be hurt over and over, because you care so very much and people aren't perfect? Why would you do that?

And then there's also the possibility of children to think about! knowing your substantial list of flaws, you think that you can be a good example to a delicate, pliable mind and trusting soul? Are you insane? Logic is stacked against you. Some would say Science is stacked against you. And yet you would defy all this. Why?

It makes no sense at all. Unless you know God. To him, logic meant becoming one  with his creation by stepping into humanity. It meant after a short time of living a perfect life, being brutally murdered for those he loves. To defy all science and come back from the dead, after taking the keys of Hell, putting to rest all the sins of the world and tying the dragon up in knots. He did all this knowing we would deny him a lot more than a mere three times. That we would betray Him in worse ways than a kiss. Yet He knew some would follow. And for that, it was worth it. He is insane. Wild. Unpredictable. Dangerous. But gentle.

He put everything that exists on earth here for a reason. To teach us of Himself. We experience so many varieties of Love here.. and each kind reveals to us a new kind of Love. When your Mother holds you as you cry, cleans up your cuts, nurtures you when you're sick. This is God loving you through her. When your Father provides for his family, protects, corrects, and cheers on in hopes that you will surpass him. That is God's love supporting you. When you Love someone for the first time, and you're dazzled by them.. That is A piece of God's passion. When your Heart is wrecked by that person and you feel like you can't find any air worth breathing. So He longs for you. When you feel rejected by a family member. Disowned. So has He felt your betrayal. When you're jealous of someone's attentions, Just as He is, always, of your attention.

All this to say, when you are one with someone, you are completely and utterly exposed. Heart, mind, and body. So is he, with your soul. He is one with it. And you with Him. You cannot escape his love. It is a part of you. You can only choose to ignore Him, or pursue Him. There is no middle ground.

There is no real purpose for marriage if you don't believe in God. Why? God is Love. How can you vow to love someone if you don't know who love is at all? How can you fall in love if you've never met the essence of what love is? You can't. You'll only be capable of loving with a heart of flesh; which is flawed, prone to selfishness, lust, anger, obsession, and the other mimicking shadows of what love truly is.

If you know who love is you'll be filled with a the Holy Spirit, who will open your eyes to how God himself sees those around you. He will help you love them as God does. Then when you promise that love to someone else you'll know that you're saying "With every part of me that is of God, the fruits of the spirit that are in me are yours." When you say "I love you" that is what you should mean.

It is considered sacred because it is a covenant, and a reminder. A covenant before God and his people to Love one person the way Christ loves his church. A reminder that He is coming for his bride one day. A wedding is a symbol of this, a modern one that we see regularly, a ring.. like the rainbow.

The only good reasons to get married are the following:
1. To learn more about the character of God. You are a trinity. You, your partner, and God. You are going to be challenged like never before and have no where to run or hide because your partner is there for the rest of your life. You're going to have to learn to grow. Or you will die.
2. You would be more effective together for the calling God has for your life. To support. Correct. Join. And always direct each other back to God in everything you do. Seek Him together.

You will have twice the sin between the two of you. But where sin abounds, there does grace abound far more.

Go learn something about that insane God of ours together.

Lessons of the Week:

Today will end better than it began. Worry is a waste of the imagination. Choose to be happy. Whistle while you work. There should always be time for a coffee. Be generous with hugs and affirmation. Listen well and ask questions. Don't just listen to respond, but to understand. Know who you are and you'll know what to do. Smile like it's always Christmas; and love like you have nothing to lose.