Hope and Joy

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Engagement is a time of hope, of looking forward. With 193 days to go before the big day, I find myself looking past the dj, the flowers, the money, the (insert critical wedding component here)... to what life will be like when I am married to the singularity of wonderfulness that is my bride-to-be. I have received a small glimpse of that life this week, as Angela has spent the last 5 days with me. And, while 5 days seems like nothing to you, it is a lifetime together compared to what we usually get. I have spent a long time putting my hope into a wonderful marriage with Angela. God has blessed me, this week, to find joy in the reassurance that I have received by spending time with her. It takes a lot to trust in Him that Angela and I can still be happy after living in separate cities for a year and a half. But, because of that trust, I find myself constantly overflowing with love for her, with a hope for our marriage that is so close to my heart that I get nervous even to speak of it.

God's faithfulness is indescribable. We all know of it personally, and could never really explain the magnitude of our witness because no one else can see His intervention in our lives from the truly destitute places that we came from before Christ. For me, God has made it so boldly clear that Jesus Christ is the truth, the way, and the life that I have no doubt in my mind that my hope and trust belong to nothing but Him. My dreams of a meaningful and strengthening engagement, of a lifelong marriage that is a beacon of light into the darkness, of a family that is held together by the steadfast love of Christ Jesus, I entrust only unto God. Because, after all, He is the only One I believe is capable of fulfilling those dreams. He is the only One capable of turning that hope into joy.

193 more days until I am to "love my wife just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her". I have a long way to go until I reach that point, and a lot to hope for. I have nothing less than full confidence that He will be faithful to us, that he will turn that hope into overflowing joy in a lifetime spent within the ultimate commitment of marriage.