Michael and I posing for a glamour shot at the Spring Banquet at LSU’s Christ the King in 2007. I love this picture:) (And I loved that dress…too bad it was my roommate’s!)
A good friend of mine here in Houston gave a talk on Dating and Chastity for our church’s Life Night last night, and one of the first quotes she used in her presentation hit me square in the heart:
“Love has reached maturity when it surpasses loving someone for how they make you feel, and ascends to loving someone for who that person is.“
I have known my husband for less than six years, and I am in awe at both how much I have grown in understanding and living out real love, and at how much more I have to learn about the kind of love and marriage that God wants for me.
It’s so easy to “love” someone when they are acting in a way that is loveable to you. At least it is for me. When Michael does something especially sweet or thoughtful, my immediate reaction is always to do something special for him. I might give him an extra hug or peck on the cheek, pick out an outfit before he asks me to (he’s colorblind:), or just stop him in the middle of dinner and tell him how much I adore and respect him.
Michael still makes me feel like a princess sometimes. If I’m being honest, more than sometimes 🙂 He is a wonderful, wonderful guy–a Keeper as my mom has told me many times.
And yet, Michael can also make me more frustrated, hurt and angry than just about anyone I know!
But through those challenges in my relationship with him, I have grown spiritually in ways I cannot measure or fully explain. My relationship with Michael has been a huge part of the Making of Me, of my turning my life wholeheartedly to what I’d best explain as living my life God’s way.
Thinking of Michael in this light, the light of his being my earthly partner, God’s most important blessing and instrument in my life, is the first step for me in remembering that I am called to love him for who he is, and not just for how he makes me feel.
Great words Erin. I love that quote. I definitely still need to perfect the art of living it out 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing your reflections.
I've been married to my own Michael for almost 27 years. Our relationship is much like that enjoyed by you and your husband. Maybe that's how it is with all those marriages made in heaven 😉
P.S. Take my word for it: Marriage only gets better as time goes by…
What a lovely post. Thank you Erin. Wendy