Borrowed & Blue & Thankful Too

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow, Lisa & I wanted to express some thoughts of gratitude. Our blog was established with the purpose of encouraging young wives in their marriages. So, we thought it would be appropriate to share some things that the two of us have become thankful for in our own. Our first ever co-authored post!

We hope that by reading what we’re thankful for in our marriages it will inspire you to reflect on your own. There’s always something to be thankful for! And always a ‘someone’ to be thankful to! We’re thankful to God for these undeserving gifts he has given to us through our husbands, Matt and Steve.

When I think of my husband, Matt, I think ‘grace’. I feel like no matter how much I fail at being a godly wife, Matt will offer me grace upon grace. There have been numerous moments where I have broken down and just cried because I feel like everything I’m doing is wrong. Have you ever had one of those days? Where you feel like no matter how hard you try, you just keep on messing up. When I’m beat down and discouraged at the end of the day, I begin to apologize to Matt for being so irritable, and he always interrupts me… with a big bear hug. Every time. Of course, I cry more at that point. But not because I’m sad, because he’s once again imaged out the grace of God to me. It’s not that I can do no wrong in Matt’s eyes, it’s that he’s always there to forgive me and remind me of the truth of the gospel when I do. He holds no grudges, he forgives as Christ forgives.

On a more light-hearted note, I’m thankful that Matt is a complete and utter goofball. Those that know him well have probably seen his silly side, but nobody gets to see it quite like I do. I probably burn more calories a day laughing at this guy than when I played college soccer. There have been countless nights that we’ve laid down to go to bed and not gotten to sleep for another two or three hours because of pillow fights, tickle wars, and jumping on the bed. We definitely have fun together! Matt brings so much joy to my life just by being his happy-go-lucky self!

Steve  & I have been married almost two years, and in that time not a day has gone by that I’m not thankful that God allows me to be his wife. I’m struck most often by his servant leadership. He’s constantly looking for ways to serve me around the house, at work, in my hobbies, and in any other way that he can. He’s always willing to go without or go way out of his way so that I can have what I want, so much so that I’ve had to learn to stop voicing every little desire. For example, even though it might be that time of the month, and I say I want it, I don’t actually need him to go buy me a whole chocolate cake. But in all seriousness, Steve spends a considerable amount of his time thinking of me instead of himself, and it spurs me on to be less selfish with him and with others.

Marriage has also made me thankful for holidays. I’ve always loved Thanksgiving, and Christmas is my favorite time of year, and now I get two of them! Our families are very different and have different holiday traditions, but I’ve grown to love Steve’s family’s as much as my own. I’ve enjoyed experiencing the differences and love them both for their unique aspects, like all the nephews getting up early, running around at my parents’ house being loud and crazy – and its counterpart, the quiet, laid back, late morning Christmas that the Kieklaks enjoy. I’m so thankful that marriage has doubled my family & my holiday festivities!

If you’re married, what are some things that your marriage makes you thankful for? If not, what about your parents’ marriage? Let us know in the comments!