7 years
Posted by Ashley on June 22nd, 2009Today is our 7th anniversary. I just looked through some wedding photos from 2002 and we look older. We must be looking quite distinguished now as we approach 30. 
We’re still in the throws of moving and frankly neither of us does amazingly well with transitions. We get stressed. We fight. This past year was an entire year of transitions: a new job for Bryce, new place to live, a baby transitioning to toddlerhood, a wife learning how to be a stay-at-home mama, another pregnancy and another baby, all while trying to figure out “what’s next”. We have had some beautiful moments this past year of marriage. We have had people love us even as they knew we’d leave in a year’s time. We’ve had amazing moments of grace as people brought us food and took care of Ezra so we could have some time to rest with Porter after he was born. My VBAC was another few hours of grace as we welcomed Porter into the world with ease and without medication.
But we’ve had some dark moments where we have just been mean to one another. I’m writing all this here partly for accountability and so — in case you didn’t know — a pastor and his family don’t have it all together at all. Life is hard. I have found though that the gospel of grace in Jesus is true. As much as I doubt God at times, as much as I want to prove I’m right, to cling to self-satisfaction, something moves me beyond those moments. There have been times where we’d both probably have called this marriage thing quits. It’s hard and at times, it’s not fun. But it is more and more about how we can come together as two sinful people and learn to give grace to one another. That’s what this marriage is all about.
And I’m excited to see what the next chapter in our lives holds. God is good, especially through the darkness. Today I am so thankful for my husband who loves me, challenges me, and helps me to see God more clearly.
