Wednesday, May 15, 2013

A Letter To A 19 Year Old Bride {Myself}

Dear Jess,

Today is one of the happiest days of your life.  Yes, I know you think it is THE happiest day of your life, but let me tell you, the best is yet to come!  I know it's your special day, but I wanted to take a few minutes to let you know a few things.

Today you will walk down that isle, holding onto Dad's arm, and step into the arms of the man who will hold you for the rest of your life.  Those arms will hold you in many good times and a few hard times as well.  Those broad shoulders and outstretched arms are made just for you.  Embrace them {literally!} and enjoy the warmth and support they give.

One of the greatest gifts you can give to your marriage is finding a mentor.  An "older" woman to teach you how to be a help~meet to your husband.  You may not understand the importance of this right now, but it will have a lasting effect on your marriage.  Read Titus 2:3-5 and then pray for God to lead you in this area. 

Marriage will not always be easy.  There will be times you look at your sweet new husband and wonder what planet he just fell off of!   Take these times to God in prayer, and pray with each other.  Don't wait several years to learn the importance of prayer time with each other and for each other.  Start right now.  Pray that God will help you to become the wife He would want for you to be.  Cover your marriage and husband in prayer.  It really will make a difference.

Never stop working on your marriage.  Continue to date one another.  Don't think now that the wedding is over, dating must end.  It is so important to spend time each week connecting with one another.  Communicate with each other.  Let each other know how you feel, but do so in a non judgemental, loving way.  Never stop doing this.  Even when the kids come, the mortgage is due, and life's challenges are hitting hard~make it a point to place each other first in your lives.

Enjoy your new life.  Enjoy each day and live each day to the fullest.  Keep anger and bitterness away.  Let love fill each minute of each hour of each day.  Soon you will wake up and find you've been married for 20 years.  It may seem like a long way away, but it will be here sooner than you think!

" Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE."  1 Corinthians 13:13

Love,

Jess



**As a side note, I printed copies of this out to give to our daughters on their wedding day.  Seems appropriate for that date as well!**

9 comments:

  1. What a beautiful letter...and such good advice to a new bride.

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  2. Very wise, and sweet words. Thank you for sharing them today. Words that will bless you again in the future, and your own daughters as well.

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  3. These are definitely wise words that would have done me wonders if I'd received them prior to saying I do!

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  4. Praying together has been one of the things my husband and I have done that has helped knit our hearts together. Talking together to the Father of our souls is such a beautiful, supernatural, binding and bonding moment in our day. Sometimes we get in a hurry and skip our morning prayer time, but when we take the time, God always rewards us in more ways than just answered prayer. Thanks for sharing today. I'm visiting through Gail's blog hop for the first. Time. Coming to you from Hungry for God . . . Starving for Time and glad I did. :)

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  5. What sweet words of wisdom! Certainly thoughts I hope to share with my own daughters.

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  6. What a gorgeous letter. And a great exercise for us all to do because then we can pass that on to friends as they get married, and more importantly our children. Very cool, Jess.

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  7. Now that was a precious letter! I wish the 19 year old you could have read it that day! Thank you for linking this up with me last week at Walking Redeemed.

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  8. This was Beautiful! Thanks for sharing!!! I appreciate you linking up with me for Marriage Monday!

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  9. Very sweet! This hits home as my daughter is getting married soon and I am in the midst of writing a letter to HER. Thank you for linking this up with me this week.

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