For those of you who haven’t heard our love story, DaLee and I started out with a blind date. We had a nice, long talk on the phone and then set up the first “face to face.” She asked what we were doing so she would know how to dress. I was clueless so I jokingly said, “Oh, let’s go semi-casual-formal.” The big night came. I went to her house and knocked on the door. She opened it and I saw pretty, young thing dressed in jeans and an extravagant sequined blouse. Being nervous anyway, I stood there for a moment, dumbstruck. She came to the rescue. “You said semi-casual-formal, right?” We had a good laugh and a fun evening.
I don’t know about you but I felt like I was on a first date again over the weekend. I wanted to impress Mark and his family. I wanted to say the right things and do the right things and make them like me – and us. Having been on the “other side,” believe me, they felt the same pressure. It was a whirlwind courtship but thank goodness – and praise the Lord – our search committee had done the groundwork. Even better than match.com, they followed the Lord’s leading to find His choice of a pastor for us.
There will be a “honeymoon” period where we both continue to behave and play nice. Very similar to marriage though, after a few months or a year, one of us will do something to irritate the other. Mark will have an idea that we don’t like or want to do. Or Mark might question something that we’ve “always done.” How we handle that first disagreement will lay the foundation for the rest of our relationship. Either one could dig in their heels and go to the mat being “right” which leaves the other one hurt, injured, or crushed. Or, we could seek the Lord and His leading and lovingly find a way to work together. Think about it. Which is more important, being right or having a happy wife or husband? (You better answer that correctly!) Through love, both are possible.
Thanks for being the great church body you are!
Until our next togethering,
love ya!
Bret
