Disclaimer: I am a man who is ok with sharing his emotions, so if you are not ok with that, read no further.
Well, for the masses who read my blog, but do not know me personally, I just got engaged a few weeks ago. For a detailed description of the entire affair, visit the link to your right where Katie has explained everything at length. I am not so good with typing long stories, so I will jump to the exciting conclusion which is the fact that I am going to be spending the rest of my life with Katie Hill...or eventually Katie Cox, I guess. I think that has a nice ring to it...sounds kinda spunky.
Anyways, I couldn't be more excited about marrying Katie. It is so freeing to finally be able to talk about getting married and being able to represent, together, the beautiful image of Christ and His love for the Church. I feel like marriage is the most beautiful symbol we have been given and I feel so blessed to be able to share it with such an amazing girl. Looking back on our relatively short relationship, it is incredible to me how much our love for each other has grown in little more than a year. It makes me sad that Katie is all the way up near Dallas right now, with me down in Houston, and the fact that we must wait until January to be together is frustrating. However, I am thrilled at the thought that when the new year comes, we will be joined as one and will be able to experience life together for the rest of our days here on Earth. I think God has given me, through this, a picture of His longing for us to be with Him for eternity. God desperately wants us to be with Him, where there will be no more pain, weeping, or sin, and where he will provide for our every need forever. He wants to be with us and have a relationship with us as we serve Him together. Isn't the anticipation of marriage simply a mild version of the anticipation God has of us being with Him? The entire point of marriage is to represent the relationship Christ has with the Church, and to show the world His love through that union. When I look at the different aspects of marriage through the lens of the Kingdom of God, it makes the idea of getting married even more exciting. I think most people look forward to getting married; I mean who wouldn't want to have someone to be with them, support, and love them for the rest of their lives? I am definitely excited about that part of marriage, but the joy of companionship which Katie and I will surely share will be far less satisfying than the joy of knowing that we are being blessed with the opportunity to represent the beautiful love of God for His people!
I am so blessed to have Katie as my future bride. I know she is probably the only one who reads any of this, but I'm going to say all this anyways. I thought I knew, before Katie and I met, what I was looking for in a woman. I had a whole list of qualities which I thought my future wife would have. I was even bold enough to list stupid physical characteristics which I preferred.(Curly hair was not on there at the time) When I met Katie, and got to know who she was, I was completely floored at how amazing of a girl she was. As far as my actual "qualifications", she far surpassed them, and the fact that she had short curly hair, instead of longer straight hair did not matter to me at all. I thought she was beautiful not only because of the gorgeous physical appearance God has given her, but because of her heart for the Lord and her love for others. She cares for people deeply and is willing to make sacrifices in order to spend time with them and care for them. She loves God and puts him first in her life; far before she would ever put school, a job, children, or myself. She somehow finds a way to communicate things to me in a way that is loving, respectful, and honest. Apart from the issue of her not liking fruit, there is not a thing I would change about her...and I figure that is a pretty good record. When I think of the notion of spending my days seeking the Lord with her at my side, spurring me on and supporting me all the way as we chase Him together, I can't help but get goosebumps just typing the thought. I know the excitement I feel for her is but a whisper of the excitement god has for one day being with us forever and that just makes me love her all the more.
The more I think about marrying this beautiful woman God had given me, the more excited I become. I could go on writing, but I think instead I will go to sleep now with the idea of marriage lingering as I lose consciousness and my looming marriage becomes a dream to be fulfilled.
Goodnight.
-Austin-
