June 27, 2010

My Man



“For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name. And His mercy is on those who fear Him, from generation to generation.” - Luke 1:49-50

Grandma Colleen sent these verses to me in a letter during the first days of my courtship with Nathan. This beautiful song of praise, composed by Mary, has echoed in my heart through the past months like a beautiful broken record . . . I can't do anything else but lift my hands in thankfulness and praise to the One who has done great things for me, an unworthy servant.



“Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgements are a great deep . . . How precious is Your lovingkindness O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.” -Psalm 36:5-7

Please forgive the recent silence of the blog. Frankly, my heart has been too full to blog. :-) In the past months, God has led me to the man I have been praying for since girlhood. This man is heaven bound, a pilgrim on the earth. He is a man who loves Christ and His Gospel with an intensity that overflows. He is a man who stands forgiven, regenerated by God’s grace and mercy. He is a warrior for truth, active in the battle to spread and preserve Christ’s gospel. A man with compassion for the lost and a love for the unlovely. God surprised me by gradually winding my path closer and closer to his until soon, they will merge as one road, leading both of us, hand in hand, to heaven. We are engaged as of June 9th and look forward to a wedding in October!




“Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” -Hebrews 12:1


I can’t wait to run this race with Nathan, confident in this promise: “The steps of a man are established by the LORD, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the LORD upholds his hand.” -Psalm 37 23-24



Sometimes when I pause, take my eyes off Christ, and look towards a veiled future that will probably hold many challenges and difficult experiences to walk through, I begin to fear, knowing my own sinful flesh and weaknesses. But as Paul wrote, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” -Hebrews 10:23. Those fears I have are doubting God’s faithfulness and ability to preserve and finish the work He has begun.
As those wiser and more mature than I have reminded me, it is the Gospel that makes two people able to become as one in every way that God intended, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. It is the Gospel that cleanses us of our selfishness and sin, enabling us to love and serve each other with the love of Christ, which then leads to an intimacy deep and precious, the kind of intimacy God intended between a man and his bride. Knowing this, I am filled with hope and joyful expectancy. For it is not in my own strength but in God’s that I can rely. With this hope in our hearts, we can walk confidently together towards the heavenly lands, not blind to the realities, or dangers that we will encounter, but steadfast, relying with unshakeable trust, on the mercy of God.



Thank-you to you, my precious friends and family for all your love and support during this amazing season of my life. Come praise the Lord with me!


When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.
-C.S. Lewis


What greater thing is there for two human souls, than to feel that they are joined for life - to strengthen each other in all labour, to rest on each other in all sorrow, to minister to each other in all pain, to be one with each other in silent unspeakable memories at the moment of the last parting?
-George Eliot
Adam Bede

In marriage, each partner is to be an encourager rather than a critic, a forgiver rather than a collector of hurts, an enabler rather than a reformer.
-- H. Norman Wright and Gary J. Oliver

20 comments:

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

Congratulations! You two are so cute together. We will be praying for you.

The DeLadurantey Family

Jessica said...

Such a beautiful post, Sally...thank you for sharing it! And I can definitely relate to the "heart too full to blog" feeling...my blog was VERY silent during Aaron's and my courtship and engagement. :)
I loved all the pictures you shared and hope to see more someday... That C.S. Lewis was so good...where is it from? And I loved the George Eliot quote also...
I hope things are going well as you prepare for your WEDDING! :)
~Jessica

Anonymous said...

Sal --

Delightful news! We've been praying for the two of you and will continue to do so in these looong months before the wedding.

How fitting that you should quote C. S. Lewis: it just so happens that I was working on a lecture addressing the theme "C. S. Lewis on Love" when Mom told me about your post.

The quote is of course an expression of his doctrine of first and second things. The rest of the quote clarifies:

"In so far as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all. When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased" (C. S. Lewis, Letter to Mrs. Johnson, 8 Nov. 1952).

It is good advice for young and old lovers alike (and for those in between).

With love, from your brother.

- Max

Unknown said...

:D


AHHHHH!!!!!!

Okay, I just had to get that out, if I had done that here I would have gotten some weird looks...

Congratulations Sally!!!!

Praise God for His might hand evidenced in your life. I wish I could be there to give you one great squeeze!! :D

Anonymous said...

Sally, your understanding of the Christian life as well as of Christian marriage is such an encouragement to me. Oh, how I wish that I had that understanding when I was young and preparing to marry. Thankfully, God continues to grow us.
I love the pictures you have shared here, and I can't wait to show them to my family. You would be amazed at how often you and Nathan come up in conversation in our house :) We are all very excited for you and Nathan. It is wonderful to see how God answers prayer. And, by the way, we are watching closely as you lead by example :)
With love from the entire Cox family...Martine

The Van Dyk Family said...

Congrats sis! Love you so much and am so thankful that God has given you a best friend to serve Him with. May your lives together be blessed in every way as you keep your eyes on your Lord.

~Kae

P.S. Can't wait to meet him!

Anonymous said...

Sally,
What a beautiful post and great pictures! We are soo happy for you!
With love to you both,
Aunt Susan

Anonymous said...

Sally,
What a beautiful post and great pictures! We are soo happy for you!
With love to you both,
Aunt Susan

Anonymous said...

We are soooo excited for you! Marriage is the greatest excitement in life! Keep smiling my dear sister! I LOVE YOU!!!

xoxox
Kendra

fatquiver said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
fatquiver said...

So pleased that God had me look to check your blog. Hadn't spoken to you since Wonder Valley, when you hinted about what God was doing in your life. What a wonderful blog! So fun to catch up! Hope to talk to you soon, my sister. May God bless each aspect of your plans...
~Lori

The Oilsgal said...

Thank you so much for these lovely words and pictures. I look forward to spending time with you, and I can't wait to meet Nathan.

Haleigh said...

sally! how exciting for you! i was so surprised to see your blog, which i haven't looked at in a while and happened to think of you today. that is so exciting!!! :) we need to catch up in person and i'd love to hear all about this new exciting time in your life :)

haleigh kriegbaum

Jenny Parish said...

I am so so happy for you, Sally. You were just glowing the other evening when you were here. Congratulations! Like Max said, we are praying for you, and will continue to do so as you and Nathan wait for your wedding. I can't wait to see you again!

Love,
Jenny

The McCracken family said...

We were so glad to see this post - reading your thoughts and enjoying your photos! May God be with you and Nathan and your families as you walk (skip and leap? :-) through this exciting time in your lives!
Lori

The Parish Clan said...

Thank-you all so much for sharing my joy! God continues to show His goodness and faithfulness to us every day. Wedding planning has begun in earnest! :)

Brittany said...

I'm so happy for you Sally and can't wait to see you again so we can chat! Praying for you!

Reginia Teter said...

Sally! It's been too long since I've seen your beautiful face, but these wonderful pictures are a nice substitute! You look so happy and I am soooooo happy for you. Congratulations and bless you as you prepare for the big day! He's so handsome, but you already know that! Lol You are a beautiful couple! Lots of love! :)

Shiloh said...

Congrats!

Your skirt (in the very first picture) is so pretty! Did you make it?

Michele said...

Congratulations Sally,such wonderful news! We are praying for you as you embark on this beautiful and precious time :-)