Bending my will in order to bless …

*Last summer, when in London, we had the joy of meeting a Sacred Mundane blog-reader, Brie. She and her fiance Jamie gave us a fabulous tour around the River Thames and a delightful evening of fun and fellowship. Jamie and Brie are now married, and I’m delighted to share a few of her thoughts with you. Enjoy!

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We did this crazy thing last year – we got married.

Two completely imperfect people tying themselves together, to the perfect God and saying, if you’ll let us, we’ll bring glory to your name, let our story speak only of You. And it is a completely crazy thing, when you think about it. I’m difficult and stubborn and selfish, I desperately want my own way, I am a perfectionist; and my husband, he has to be just as flawed, because he’s only human. And these two sinners are going to try to build a life, and this is going to bring God glory? How’s that? How can that be possible?

I should probably mention here that God’s never-failing sense of humor has appeared in our marriage, He took two of the most independent people ever – we both moved to a new continent in our twenties, and we live in one of the most independent, hard, economically-driven cities in the world – and gave us to each other. But do you know what else he gave us? Jesus. Thanks be to God!

And so this marriage, it would be completely crazy, if it were only the two of us – we’d probably disagree constantly, and keep long accounts, and struggle to get our own way every time, and expect too much, and love too little.

But it’s not a marriage of two. It’s a marriage of three. Our wedding verse was from Ecclesiastes – ‘two is better than one…but a three stranded cord is not easily broken.’ (Ecc 4:9-11) Marriage is about the two of us, about the two of us putting Jesus in the center of it all. When we were dating we’d pray for each other in the morning via text message. We still do. My husband works long hours and often leaves the house before I am awake, and so often my morning starts with a text he’s sent while on his commute, praying for something he knows I’m facing that day, the knowledge that he takes me to the feet of the Most High God humbles me.

I thought marriage was about a clean house and nutritious meals, and in some respects it is, but only because it’s about bending my will to serve my husband; and ultimately to serve Christ. The laundry? And the bills? And the shopping? They are the mundane things that our days are built on. But as Kari says so frequently, they are sacred. Sacred because that specific task has been ordained for this moment; and sacred because God has gifted me with this blessing of a man and asked me to love him, to serve him and in so doing, to glorify the name of Jesus. And how do I love and serve my husband? By doing the laundry and cooking a meal and knowing that he loves fresh sheets on the bed and he thinks it’s a treat to have orange juice in the fridge.

When considering that our marriage is to reflect the love Christ has for the church to the world, suddenly my small, sometimes seemingly mundane marriage, feels weighty. And I wonder, do we? Do we love each other sacrificially, unconditionally, and completely? Probably not. But today, with God’s help, we will.

{Amen, Brie! Praying that same supernatural help for us all today as we imperfectly love with Christ’s perfect love. Thanks for reading.}

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Brie Doyle  UK-based Canadian, recently married to a Kiwi, and seeking after God’s will for her life and marriage. She relishes coffee dates with Jesus, cooking (but not cleaning) and seeing God’s glorious creation through travelling. She writes at on a wing and prayer.