January 7, 2006 I stood before God, my husband, and witnesses…..to a new beginning. I became a wife, a servant, a witness, and one with the man of my dreams.

Today I want to share with you our vows we made to one another.

Anna, I commit myself to love you as Christ loved the church.

I commit myself to being your Spiritual leader as I am submissive to Jesus Christ.

I will die to myself to take on your welfare above my own.

I commit to present you with pride as my Holy, beautiful, beloved bride and best friend.

I long to seek your best interest by guiding you and cleansing you through the Word of God so you might obtain your beauty from a submissive heart to Jesus Christ.

I commit to be faithful to you, cherish you, and provide strength for  you.

I will commit to be patient, seek righteousness and truth, hold no record of wrongs, endure all things while recognizing you are not the enemy rather Satan is.

I will make a conscious effort to actively love  you through communicating and listening daily.

I commit to rejoice and mourn with you. I will be honest, truthful, and sincere.

I commit to always be by your side.

I commit myself to set aside all other women and look on no other one as I do you.

I will always love you and never divorce you, because Jesus Christ is never going to stop loving nor divorce His Church.

Anna today our chord of three strands is complete. May we be led by the Holy Spirit in every part of our lives. Let us commit ourselves to keeping Jesus Christ first in our lives than each other by continually coming together to love and honor Jesus.

And my vows to my husband….

Justin, today I stand before God vowing to you a life commitment.

I commit myself to being your helpmeet as God sees fit for a wife to be to her husband.

I commit to support you, serve you and encourage you with pride as my leader, supporter and best friend.

I will be submissive to you in everything, every decision, very move, every plan and all everyday affairs as I am submissive to Jesus Christ.

I commit to be the keeper of the home.

I commit to always set my needs aside to meet your needs first.

I commit to rejoice and mourn with you.

I commit to be your prayer warrior, lifting you up and praying with you daily.

I will be merciful, faithful, and honest.

I commit to not give myself to any other man emotionally, physically, or spiritually.

I will always love you and never divorce you.

I commit that these vows will never be taken lightly, but lived out through the rest of our earthly lives.

Justin I love you and I will hold true to our vows in all seasons of our lives. May we pursue holiness in all aspects of our lives and Christ be the center of our marriage.

What a blessing it is to read over my vows today and see these lived out in our marriage…when we married, I had no idea one day my husband was going to tell me there was a chance we would be moving to Huntsville, Alabama. I’ll be honest, my heart was not pure when he told me of this news at first. I rebelled in my heart, and said I would not pray about it, and the answer was no. Then, God reminded me of our vows, and how I vowed to to submissive to Justin in every decision, and trusting him as my spiritual leader, trusting him for what would be best for our family. It was within hours of conviction, I began praying, and my heart was happy and excited for the journey ahead in Alabama…

We have rejoiced together…..(two little blessings, a new home, witnessed my brother and his wife getting married, graduated with my M.A. to name a few….

We have mourned together…..both lost our grandparents.

A few pictures on our wedding day…….

My husband washed my feet on our wedding day to symbolize his service to me, as Christ serves His Church….

Did you write  your own vows? If so, how were they the same or different from ours?

What stands out to you from our vows?

May your marriage seek to stand out from the crowds, loving one another unconditionally….maybe get out your vows, and read them together tomorrow on Valentines. What better way to celebrate this love day.

xoxo

Anna