Fighting for my Marriage

Tonight I was privileged to hear Glennon Melton, of the Momastery blog, speak. In the beginning of her talk she mentioned women fighting for their marriages. And I had my instinctive thought of "not me."
See, I was extraordinarily blessed by God in my marriage. I met a man who is so compatible with me that we were completing each other's sentences after a couple of months. Sickening, I know. We have similar values, the same sense of humor, shared passions, etc. Our marriage is so great I have to pinch myself.
But.
A split second after I discounted her comment, it suddenly hit me that I did have to fight for my marriage. I'm going to be deliberately vague right now, but I discovered, on my honeymoon no less, that I had a physical condition that adversely affected my marriage. Those of you who don't have this problem are no doubt confused, while my sisters in pain know exactly what I'm referring to. But right now, the problem itself is unimportant. What I chose to do with it is the point. I chose to fight.
I fought for my marriage. I saw doctors, specialists, therapists. I spent countless hours willingly suffering for the sake of my marriage. I was unwilling to let go. For five years, I fought for my marriage, and finally God gave us victory.
And tonight, when wonderful Glennon Melton acknowledged all of us women, applauding us for showing up and fighting, I acknowledged myself. And I cried. This is why I am writing a memoir about my fight. This is why my marriage is so strong today. This is why Husband and I are who we are. Because we fought for our marriage. And I'm proud.
Carry on, Warrior!

Writing Bible women

I'm working on a project right now that involves writing children's versions of the stories of some Bible heroines. It's a daunting task, but fortunately I have enough pride (hubris?) to attempt it. One theme that is consistently coming forth is the theme of deliverance. Those Bible ladies knew how to deliver people! Everyone talks about how David or Boaz were Christ figures, but so were these women. Think of Esther, risking death to save the entire Jewish people. Or Miriam, saving her baby brother's life and then leading the Israelites out of Egypt alongside him. I also am delving deeper into these stories myself. Meditating on the scriptures, thinking through motivations. I hope this project changes me more and more in the following months.

Hiatus

On maternity leave! My little girl decided to come 2 weeks early, so my leave starts unexpectedly. There won't be any new posts here until mid-October.