Today
Melissa and I celebrate eight years being married. It has certainly been an
adventure together. We have had our share of joy, sorrow, laughter, heartbreak,
fun, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else on this earth. I cannot imagine
what my life would be like right now if she weren’t a part of it. I knew from
the very beginning of meeting her at North Greenville University at a BSU event
that she was someone that I could see myself spending my life with. I believe
that there are two essential things that God desires for us to discover. First
is to have a personal relationship with Him and second is to be joined with our
life’s mate. I wanted to share some ways that I knew that Melissa could be my
bride someday even after only knowing her for a short while. These were some
things that I noticed about her that caught my eye immediately that I wanted in
a spouse. This is of course is besides that fact that she is absolutely gorgeous
so that is an obvious one that will not be included in this blog. Here goes:
1. She had a love and hunger for God and
His word. Being a part of a Christian college it wasn’t hard to meet a girl who
at least claimed to be a Christian. NGU was a rare place where most people you
met were believers. Most could even play the part for a while even if they didn’t
love Jesus. However, it was evident upon first meeting Melissa that something
was incredibly different about her. She had a hunger and passion for Jesus that
was evident in just having a conversation with her. She wasn’t just a “go to
church on Sunday then go back to life as usual the rest of the week” kind of
girl. She loved Jesus and we could sit and talk about His greatness for hours. It
was obvious that God’s hand was on her life. She also loved God’s Word. The
first time I ever opened her Bible I could tell pretty quickly that she had
been reading it intensely. The entire book from cover to cover had been
highlighted, parts were underlined, parts were circled, and there were notes on
the side. She didn’t just read God’s Word but had been devouring it. She had a
hunger for it. This was something I wanted in a spouse.
2. I loved the way she would treat other
people. I noticed very early on that Melissa had a heart for others. She would always
notice those people in a crowded room that most would look over and she made it
a point to love on them. She is very observant and would try to make eye
contact with everyone in the room while having a conversation even if they
weren’t a part of it. She didn’t want them to feel left out so she would
include them. To me this was Jesus in so many practical ways that I myself
rarely had ever considered. When we would go out to eat she would always ask
the server how their day was going and talk to them like they were actual
people and not just our slave for the evening. This was something I wanted in a
spouse.
3. She was the complete opposite of me
personality wise. Anyone who knows Melissa and me at all knows that we are just
a little bit different. I am extremely laid back and she is well, not at all!!!
Her bubbly personality had me from the beginning and I love the fact that she
is not like me in those areas. While being around her, life was never boring. I
loved her complete honesty even when I didn’t want to hear it at first. I loved
how she had goals and set out to accomplish them. We also balanced each other
out very well and I knew that I needed her audaciousness, vision, zeal, and
honesty in my life.
These are
obviously not the only areas that I noticed but they were the ones that did
leap out at me after first meeting her. I knew that she was someone that I
could marry and was someone I could see being the mother of my children one
day. Now eight years later I can see that she has been everything I expected
and so much more. It turns out that she a woman of many talents and is
currently a mommy, writer, speaker, gardener, great cook, and many other
things. She has inspired and challenged me in so many areas especially growing
in my walk with Jesus. Watching her interact with our children never ceases to
amaze me, and I am humbled by everything she has done to help take care of my
grandmother in the past few months. Living life is an adventure and at times
will throw a curve ball at you, but being able to experience it all with her makes
it all worth it. Who knows what we will experience in the next eight years but
I am excited about what all is to come and all that matters is we will be
together in the process.
Trey
