I get a little emotional looking at these photos that were both taken RIGHT before our 2nd and 3rd deployments. I changed so much between these two distinct times in my life- as a woman and a wife.
Let me take you back to November of 2012, to the photo on the left. I was barely 22, Nate was newly 30. We had been married a little over two years and had spent probably close to 11+ months of it apart. I was working in a position that was I wasn't passionate about, felt like I had no clue about what I would do with my life long-term, was TOTALLY insecure about my body that was about 20 pounds heavier than it is now, frustrated in my marriage because of our inconsistencies in communication/arguments about family, stressed about finances & really just didn't feel like myself. There, OF COURSE, were lots of happy moments sprinkled in here and there, but it was certainly a time during which I felt very insecure. I can tell you for certain that the majority of our issues came from a lack of surrender to the Lord and poor priorities.
Flash forward to November of 2014. I'm 24, Nate is 32. We're married a little over 4 years and still by no means marital experts. By GOD was working in our lives.. both together and separately. We were involved in our church, we were making steps towards healthier relationships, we established boundaries with our families, we had clear financial vision for our future, I found one of my PASSIONS by joining Beachbody, I created a healthy lifestyle and got my sexy back losing 3 pant sizes, I felt more confident intimately with my husband-- I felt renewed. We still weren't communication experts, in fact we had a small argument on the way to take those photos (HA- keeping it real), BUT we were LEARNING how to resolve things quickly and that pursuing peace was better than being right.
Each year, we face new challenges.. I'm actually writing this blog now as a BALL of stress while having to remind myself to trust in the Lord's faithfulness. And each year, we have more triumphs. Our marriage is such a joy in my life- it CHALLENGES me to be a kinder person, a more forgiving partner, a stronger woman, a more compassionate friend, an increasingly faithful christian.. always learning, growing and changing.
My #transformationtuesday isn't because of anything Nate or I were able to do solely on our own. It's because we finally trusted Jesus with our wants, needs and desires. We submitted to His will and surrendered ourselves to be used according to His purpose.
You will find the most beautiful transformation when you ask Jesus to lead you.
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." Matthew 6:33
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