Day 21

día ventiuno: (Nov. 21, yesterday) Today I am thankful for the gift of marriage for my friends who are recently engaged or newlyweds.

Dear God, You really have a way with placing people together. There is meaning behind every interaction we have with someone. You plan so carefully to put us with the one we will spend the rest of our lives with. On behalf of all those who are currently engaged or have recently gotten married, Lord thank You for the gift of marriage. I pray that we can all see what marriage really means - both in the earthly relationship and in our relationships with You. God, work in each couple to lift each other up to You. At no point should You be anywhere but the center of the relationship. The other day it really hit me that this is the stage of my life I'm really in. That day I learned that two of my friends are engaged (not to each other - two separate couples), and I got a message from another trying to organize a bridesmaid luncheon. Lord, in this exciting time in each engaged couple's life, let them be aware of how blessed they are to have found each other. Bless their marriage and may it last happily for the rest of their lives. God, I thank You specifically for Heaven & Russell's relationship. Thank You for my aid in it in the beginning (way back in sophomore year of high school...), and thank You for holding them together ever since. Lord, it is really evident how much they care for each other, and I am confident that they will never lose that love. Bless the planning process leading up to their wedding next summer, and bless the rest of their lives together from there. I pray that they can & will continue to support each other through anything. Thank You for their strong friendship & relationship, and thank You for allowing me to be such good friends with them. God, marriage means a lot, and I pray that we don't lose sight of that. It is meant to be a lifelong commitment, and I pray that You can help everyone keep that commitment. Work in marriages to promote fair and right and loving treatment all around. May the love in a marriage be the sharing of Your unconditional love, God.

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us." -1 John 4:10-12

Amen.