No longer newly married

After 5 years of marriage, the Lord has taught me many things about Himself, myself, and my spouse to me.  The Lord has used marriage as a tool of sanctification in my life and I grateful for His refining fire.  For many of you, 5 years of marriage may not seem like very long, for others 5 years may seem like a long time away (if not an eternity).  But, I have grown up in these past five years, in my estimation for the better, and I am thankful for the maturity and the peeling away of the immaturity that were characteristic of my high school and undergraduate years. 

The Good

Many good things have occurred in these past five years.  Even thinking about all the good that has come from our marriage is an overwhelming thought and makes me realize that I would not even be able to list all the good here.  Brandon found a profession that he enjoys and that God provides our needs through this profession.  This was not the case at the beginning of our marriage.  We both had to work and we both disliked the work.  What a joy it is to have a husband who enjoys his occupation!  What an undeserved blessing it is that I am able to stay at home with my son to raise him! 
 

The Bad

Obviously the most difficult time in my life occurred those first five weeks of Noah's life.  As always, God turned bad into good so really the outcome of this time should be in a different category.  However, those 5 weeks were the longest and most difficult of our marriage.  God protected us from Satan in that our marriage actually grew stronger through this trauma, but never have we cried such tears and felt so utterly helpless as a couple.  Of course, Noah is the absolute best thing our marriage has produced.  We are so blessed to have another baby in the womb as we speak.     

The Ugly

Our first few fights in the marriage were not beautiful.  Looking back at them now, they were laugh-out-loud funny, but at the time they were not funny.  They were a the ridding of selfishness and pride of each party.  Certainly we are still selfish and proud, but as they years roll by in marriage you learn to live with one another in an understanding way so that (at least in our case), the arguments never get to the shouting match level and in fact, almost disappear entirely. 

The Lovely

God is molding me into a godly woman everyday.  He is turning me into something that I never really wanted growing up, but now I desperately desire.  He is turning me into a woman who loves my home (meaning the people in it) and who desires to live for her home.  Working in the home is my first priority as a wife and mother.  I could not say this in all honesty the first few years of marriage.  But through much turmoil and stubbornness, God is bringing me into conformity with his will for my life.  I still have a long way to go, but the process is just lovely.    

Certainly this is not an exhaustive list of the good, bad, ugly, and lovely.  But the good news is, the good and lovely list certainly outweigh the bad and ugly.  May the Lord of Hosts be praised for his faithfulness to our marriage vows! 

Our wedding anniversary, August 13th, was a day filled with joy and remembrance.  How long have you been married and what are you most grateful for during this time of life? 

Thanksgiving

Crowd-pleasing, campy, and predictable? Yes, writing a list of what I am thankful for because it is Thanksgiving is all of the above. So here it is:

I am thankful for...
1. The shed blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of my sins.
2. Brandon Bear. He puts up with and actually loves this crazy gal.
3. Noah Bear. What a year it has been with him. He is growing up in front of my eyes.
4. My brother Michael. I wish I could see him more and I wish Noah could hang out with his Uncle Michael!!!
5. My parents. Thankful I live in the same city, but not the same house :)
6. Our new house (which my parents have a lot to do with). What a gift from God!
7. Our church. Faithful preaching and teaching have kept us down the straight and narrow path during our transition back to da Burgh.
8. Brandon's job and God's provision through it. So grateful that Brandon loves teaching and he can support the people he loves through it.
9. My true friends. Nuff' said.
10.Singing and actually enjoying it again. Now if my voice would only come back to normal from the hormones.

I could go on and on and on about what I am thankful for. But perhaps, I am most thankful that I have the True and Living God to be thankful to. I know He gives me all things and only by His will do I have any blessings. Many in America have a great number of things to be thankful for, but few can be thankful for a real and personal relationship with the Savior of the World. Perhaps as we Americans are being stripped of our wealth, more citizens of our great nation will realize we have nothing without Christ.

Blessings to all and enjoy the turkey.