Christ-like

    For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. - 2 Corinthians 1:12

    I couldn't have chosen better words to describe Derek, my husband. This verse has long made me think of him, since even when we were only friends.
    He quotes Proverbs 18:22 to me many times.
"He who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord."
     I tell him I think it applies to husbands too. My life has become considerably better since Derek became a permanent fixture in it. Only two and a half months have passed since we were married. Already God has blessed me through Derek in more ways than I can number here.
    Marriage has not been an easy transition for me. Many of my faults have become magnified, two of the worst being my inability to balance a schedule and prioritize. I work and serve myself into exhaustion and do not know or respect my own limits as I should.  Even today, I was crying and talking to Derek about this struggle. He told me he wanted me to let him know what I commit to from now on. That way he could serve as an objective perspective and keep me accountable. He said he wanted to make sure I was taking care of myself.
    Thinking about this conversation later, I nearly started crying. God wants me to take care of myself because He cares more about me than about what I can do for Him. It really sunk in for the first time. That Derek that he would step up, protect me (even from myself), and help me grow into a healthier woman -- it was a little picture of Christ's love for me and it opened up my mind. God did not save me because of what I could do for Him. He saved me because of His love and grace. That same love and grace (not my productivity) is what should dominate my life.

John 15:9 | Galatians 2:20 | 1 Corinthians 6: 13, 19-20 | Psalm 139:13-16

Thank you, God, for saving my husband, for making him like Christ, and for using him to teach me about You.

                                                                                                                  

Who's a person in your life that helped you see something about God? What did you learn from them?