"So, how's being engaged?"

(For those of you who do not know, I got engaged on December 10, 2012.)

I love when people ask me about my engagement, but I feel like I always have to answer this question with a quick, "Wonderful! It's hard, but it's great. I cannot wait to be married!"

I'd like to answer it in depth.

The fact that I'm even engaged is crazy! I am 20 years old and I still have another year of college. Some people think it's a bit insane. They would never do it. While I cannot deny that I am young, it's what is right for me and Chris. And in the same breath, it's so surreal! I often think to myself, "I am getting married?! Wow, this is actually happening!"

I am thankful. Chris is such a blessing in my life. He is more patient than I will ever be. He is gentle and speaks kindly to me. He is humble. He is quick to forgive. He shows me so much grace. He is a God-fearing man. He points me to Christ. I cannot believe I get to marry this man! I love him so much! What a gift he is to me. I am so grateful to God for placing him in my life.

The season of engagement can be hard. Striving for purity is tough. That's the truth. The desires we were given are not sinful, but what we do with those desires can become sinful. I am thankful that Chris and I have had open communication about striving for purity throughout our relationship. We are not perfect, but God is faithful. I have learned a lot about the importance of prayer through this, because we cannot be obedient if we are not trusting in His perfect plan and relying on Him at all times.

Wedding planning is, to sum it up in one word, continuous. It's always happening. I could always be doing something else for the wedding. (Fortunately, I'm not always doing something for the wedding and I have learned to do other things without even thinking about wedding planning.) There is way more to wedding planning than I thought. Just finding a venue was a challenge! I have never called and emailed so many people in my life! (In mid-January, we finally settled on a gorgeous jockey club called Rock Springs.) Thankfully, my mom is a natural planner and she is super organized. She is always on top of things! I do not know what I would do without her help. Seriously though.

Don't get me wrong, wedding planning is also really fun! I mean, c'mon, it's my wedding! I only get to do this one time. Finding a dress was awesome. I found it at the first store I went to and it was the second dress I tried on. I didn't want to take it off. I tried on four more dresses for good measure, but I knew it was the one. That sounds SO cliche, but it's true. Designing invitations was cool because we got to pick something that fit our theme and looked like us. We're currently in the process of making our centerpieces. It's a little labor-intensive, but it's been enjoyable. My whole family is helping!

Without a good transition paragraph, I'll say that marriage is talked about a lot in Scripture. One of the main passages regarding marriage is Ephesians 5:22-33. There is a lot in these verses, and I will not attempt to explain them in depth. But this passage talks mainly about the roles of the husband and wife in relation to the roles of Christ and the Church. Wives are to submit to their husbands as the church submits to Christ. Husbands are to love their wives as Christ loved the Church. These commands are not conditional for either of us. The Bible does not say, "Wives, submit to your husbands if they love you well." The Bible also does not say, "Husbands, love your wives if they submit to you." So I will strive to submit to Chris because I submit to Christ. I will strive to submit to Chris because I am commanded to submit to my husband. And Chris will strive to love me with a sacrificial love because Christ loves the Church sacrificially. He will strive to love me because he is commanded to love his wife. I know this will be challenging because, in our sinful nature, women desire to be in control and men resort to passivity. Please pray that we will desire to fight this sin in order to have a God-glorifying marriage and that, through God's grace alone, Chris and I will be a clear picture of the Church's submission to Christ and Christ's love for the Church.

75 days :)

"When you realize you want to spend the rest of your life with somebody, you want the rest of your life to start as soon as possible." -Nora Ephron