We Got Married

Wow!

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That was like... what?

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Four months?

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Four months and no entry on this blog?!?!?!

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So much has happened in that span of time.

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A LOT!

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But the most important of those happenings is a major occasion in my life: MY WEDDING!

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Yup! You read that right! My wedding. I got married.

Or more specifically, 'we' got married.

And by 'we' I mean myself and my best friend of 18.5 years.

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However, this isn't an article enumerating the sequence of events leading up to the wedding; neither is this a post about my thoughts and emotions about our 'perfect' wedding (more on that in another entry). Instead, this is me sharing the personal vows I wrote for my Bride, J.

As an older adult, I have learned to be very circumspect when it comes to making promises to anyone around me, and I have also learned to carefully evaluate the cost of any pledge I deemed deserving of my commitment. This was my approach when I penned these wedding vows.

I am sharing these promises 'publicly' on the Internet because none of them were made lightly, and all of them were thought of carefully. My hopes are that these words would inspire the singles to pursue a more meaningful and organic foundation for romantic relationships, and for the married ones to remember the vows they made so that they could either review and renew them or cherish and celebrate them.

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J,

Today, I want to publicly express how grateful I am for you and for the many things that you bring into my life; I will use these 'thank yous' as the springboard for my personal vows to you on this our wedding day.

Firstly, thank you for the gift of loyal friendship for the past 18 and a half years. Thank you for listening to me without prejudice, sharing your thoughts and emotions without hesitation, and accepting me for who I am with no strings attached. I am grateful that we had a platonic and unconditional foundation for our relationship long before we reached the point of realizing we wanted to spend the rest of our years together in lifelong companionship.

I promise to do my best to continue to be your friend; to always keep my ears and heart attuned to you, to your heart, to your desires, and to your dreams. As your forever friend, I will do my best to draw closer to you, be more open to you, be more understanding of you, be more peaceable with you, be more loyal to you, and hold you in ever-increasing esteem as the years go by. 

Secondly, thank you for your generous spirit. I have often told you that this is one of the traits in you that reminds me most of my late father Rudolph, who himself was a generous person. I do not only appreciate your generosity with the gifts, treats, and blessings, which you freely share with me and our immediate families, but I am also grateful for your generosity when it comes to the compliments you give me, the compassion you extend to me, the care you lovingly impart to me, and the consideration you have for my well-being and the well-being of others.

I promise to do my best to acknowledge and value the many expressions of your generous heart toward me, because these are manifestations of God's divine nature in you, and evidence of His divine favor over me. As your husband, I vow to continue giving myself generously to you in every way I can, just as Christ lavishly gave Himself to benefit His church.

Lastly, thank you for the spirit of intentionality that you brought into and shared with me in our relationship. Your purposeful thoughts, actions, and words geared toward building a godly marriage with me, encourages me to likewise pursue God's will for a husband and wife, which is to bring honor and glory to the Almighty Father.

I promise to do my best to be intentional about demonstrating Christ-likeness to you in every circumstance and season, and continue to purposefully pursue the standard of God's word for my calling as husband, and, God willing, as a father to our future family.

I make these vows to you before our family and friends, and ask God to give me the grace to abide by these words. May the Lord always be glorified in our marriage, and may you always be blessed and joyful being married to me. I declare these words and put my faith only in God for the fulfillment of these vows.

In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.