Happy Days

There have been many, many happy days in my life. I don't just mean regular happiness (I have a LOT of those days!!) but I mean the kind of happiness that you feel like your body could just burst. The day I got married. The birth days of both of our children. Holding my niece and both nephews for the first time. The day I got saved at church. Being on girl trips with my mom and sister. Having alone time with my husband post-children (you take that time for granted before having kids!!).

But none of those times could have prepared me for how I felt on March 11, 2012.

If you told me when I was in high school that this was going to be my life, I would have seriously not believed you. I never thought I would be in the place I am now, but man am I thankful things didn't work out the way I had planned!

And if you had told me that eventually I was going to marry Stephen (well, I would have believed that part, I was totally smitten with him) and that one day he would be a deacon in our church and an extremely well-respected man in our church, I think I would have smiled and said that seemed a little high-reaching for a prediction. But about a year and a half after we got married, we both got saved at the church we attend now, and since then our relationship has changed drastically. I can't even get into how grateful I am for where we are now.

We found out a couple of months ago that Stephen was being nominated to be a deacon in our church, and although this may not seem like a big deal to some people, we are taking it very seriously. We have a new pastor at our church and he is making some major changes, one of those being the implementing of deacons over certain sections of the church (like evangelism, outreach, discipleship, etc.) So being a deacon right now is very significant in our church. I am so proud of Stephen and how far he has come since we first met 13 years ago. He is such an incredible father and husband, and he is such a blessing to me.

But like I said, nothing could have prepared me for how I felt on the day he was ordained. My parents came to the service to support us (and also, my dad ended up playing the piano for the entire service since our piano player didn't show up - Hah!) At the end of the service, it was time for the newly ordained deacons to be prayed over by anyone in the congregation who had previously been ordained. This included several men from church as well as my dad. I can't even describe how I felt seeing my dad up there praying over my husband.

Our pastor Chad with Stephen

I got really emotional that day! I just think God has brought us so far. It's so important to us that we stick with our faith through everything. In the past six months I can't tell you all the marriages that have fallen apart, tragedies that have struck families we know... and it's only been the ones who lean on God that come out on top and thriving.

1 Timothy 3:8-13 KJV "Likewise must the deacons be grave, not doubletongued, not given to much wine, not greedy of filthy lucre; holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. And let these also first be proved; then let them use the office of a deacon, being found blameless. Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things. Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well. For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus."