As I write this, I am just five days away from getting married myself, so you’ll have to excuse me for having marriage on my mind. Don’t worry, I’m not going to talk about how great the hem on my dress turned out or how good of a deal we got on the church decorations, or even what cake I picked. However, I do want to talk about marriage and what little I know and look forward to.

Growing up, I was taught that the Bible often paints the picture of marriage as an image of Christ and the Church. I thought it was a silly image. Now that I’m at this stage in life, it most certainly is and will forever be the perfect image of marriage. Someone to live life with who sees my flaws and knows my baggage, yet still chooses to love me dearly.

In my pre-marriage journey, I have learned that my soon-to-be husband will leave his socks on the ground, will be late for our scheduled meeting at times, and might not notice when I dust. But the reality is there are things I do that drive him just as crazy. It’s humbling really when you think about it. We are going to merge two lives together. What an opportunity to have someone who loves me so deeply that he will be there when I need him and also point out my flaws with grace from a loving heart. What an opportunity to grow.

I will never be the perfect wife, nor he the perfect husband. The only way to achieve “perfection” is to recognize that we are sinful and in need of our Savior. He will cover my flaws and give me the strength to be what my husband needs when I am not able. What an awesome God we serve.

I have a lot to learn, but I trust that the Lord will lead us each step and season of the way through fun times and treacherous times. I pray this takes you back to your first days of bliss and you can find encouragement to love one another just as Christ loves you.