We Do, We Did, We Will

For those of you who check in here regularly to keep up with the comings and goings and musings of Suz, I hope it came as no surprise that my postings have been scarce for the past month or so. Getting married (then honeymooning, then nesting) has taken precedence over blogging lately, but I'm starting to feel the itch to get back into the groove. However, returning to my blog after such a prolonged absence in which many significant life events took place is a bit overwhelming...where to begin? I've decided to jump back in with bite-size posts about the wedding, honeymoon, and married life.

To attempt anything comprehensive at this point is simply exhausting to even think about, but I think I can handle a series of little nuggets. So, to kick them off, I thought I'd start with one of the most joyfully sobering (oxymoron? perhaps) aspects of the wedding ceremony...our vows.

Travis and I chose to write our own vows. As we did so, we were mindful of a quote from Covenant Marriage that really stood out to us. I don't have the book handy at the moment, so I'll have to paraphrase for now. The gist of the quote was this: it is not so much the man (and woman) who keeps his vows, but the vows that keep the man (and his wife).

When we spoke our vows to one another on October 3rd, we meant and felt those promises with every fiber of our beings. But the thing about covenant vows is this: on the days that will come (and we know they will come) when we question what we meant up there at the altar, or we don't feel like keeping those promises and treating the other person the way we said we would, it's the vows that will keep us committed.

We chose to memorize our vows so that they are lodged in our brains and on our hearts. We plan to frame these vows and hang them on the wall of our bedroom as a visual reminder of what we have promised. By God's grace and in His strength, we will keep these vows; and when we stumble, may these vows keep us.

GROOM: I, Travis, take you, Suzanne, to be my wife. Before God, our families, and these friends I vow to share my life with you. With great joy I pledge myself to love you as Christ loves the Church. I vow to be the spiritual leader of our family, to follow Christ all of my days, and to depend on Him for the strength to lead with wisdom and humility. With steadfast faithfulness and unwavering commitment I will stand by your side through seasons of joy and sorrow, prosperity and adversity, sickness and health. I will laugh with you and cry with you, encourage and comfort you, cherish and know you. I promise to pray with you and for you, and to encourage and support you in becoming the woman God calls you to be. I will provide for you and protect you, seeking to make our home a place of security and rest. I promise to be open and honest with you, to listen to you and seek understanding. I vow to work through conflicts with grace and humility, extending forgiveness, even as I am forgiven in Christ.

Suzanne, I love you, and it is with great joy that I make this covenant with you and become your husband, pledging myself to be your faithful friend and closest companion for as long as we both shall live.

BRIDE: I, Suzanne, take you, Travis, to be my husband. Before God, our families, and these friends I vow to share my life with you. I will laugh with you and cry with you, care for you in sickness and in health, and stand by your side through prosperity and adversity, sharing joy and sorrow. I promise to follow Christ all of my days, to pray with you and for you, and to encourage and support you in becoming the man God calls you to be. I vow to submit to your leadership, according to God's design, through all circumstances. I promise to love and respect you as the head of our household, even as Christ is head of His body, the Church. I will endeavor to make our home a welcoming refuge and place of peace. I promise to be open and honest with you, to listen to you and seek understanding. I vow to work through conflicts with grace and humility, extending forgiveness, even as I am forgiven in Christ.

Travis, I love you, and it is with great joy that I make this covenant with you and become your wife, pledging myself to be your faithful friend and closest companion for as long as we both shall live.