INT. APARTMENT - AFTERNOON
       
      It is a quiet afternoon with only my speakers blasting noises in the neighborhood. I think everyone is still catching some hours of sleep which seems like the norm on holidays ,or maybe the city has always been this after all the festivities. 
   
   My table, which has been the best companion for many of my self-reflection moments this year, has been abandoned for several weeks prior. It has been really a while since I have been here, and this *settled* to write and work on something. For the past weeks, this space has been full of clutter: unwrapped gifts, unopened parcels, and unfinished wedding giveaways -- you could imagine the mess I have been ignoring. 

  Last night, I had the opportunity to finally clean up my area to prepare for a work-from-home set-up today, and to finally update this blog about how life has been.

Christmas isn't really much different this year. I have spent it with my family over dinner, karaoke, and Christmas movies. The only thing that was changed, though, was that I was with my husband and his younger sister. It's still strange to say the word "husband," but yep, I am blessed to be married to a friend I've known for quite a while and whom I have been dating for the past few months. 

Now, I am living in a home with a new (and lifetime) roommate. It is exciting and nerve-wracking, and overwhelming in the best way! Everything still feels new, but I see it as a grace for me to sleep and wake up with the person whom I vowed to love and serve, and to obey the Lord with. 

     Our wedding was simple, and it is a memory I’ll always want to revisit, especially because our loved ones from different aspects of our lives were gathered in one place. Yet, more than gathering our loved ones to celebrate our union, I am grateful that the wedding ceremony has become a firm reminder of what I am truly committing myself to. Our pastor was clear in preaching the Scriptures about the roles that I ought to embrace and the significance of our marriage in proclaiming the gospel to the people around us. The goal of marriage, as he said, is not ultimately our happiness — but our holiness. God will use it as a lifetime sanctification to shape us both to Christ-likeness in character and heart for His glory.


Though I know that along the way, our depravity and sinful nature will inevitably manifest in some way, I am grateful that our community - the married couples especially - has been with us in somehow preparing us to navigate the realities of married life. Their marriages aren't perfect at all, yet they gave us a glimpse of the ugly truths that are often not talked about and the beautiful display of the gospel when both choose to forgive and love selflessly. Having the church with us makes me less anxious about the things of the future, especially because I know that we will not be alone in this journey of learning. 

With that, I am entering a new season, embracing this new calling to honor the Lord through serving the one He appointed to be my earthly leader. 

For years, I have been living independently, and I know that having a new authority to whom I ought to submit would be a struggle from time to time, but I pray to wrestle with my old ways and submit sincerely, for it is my Father's design for my good. My husband is a gift from heaven that is more than I deserve, and my prayer is that my fear of the Lord will cause me to love him rightly, to pursue his joy consistently, and to respect his authority wholeheartedly.

This Christmas is not significantly different because, despite the thrilling transitions and resets in my life, the true essence of the season remains shining above all: God the Son, was born to the world in human flesh to redeem His bride and give her eternal joy.

Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, submitted to the will of the Father so that all those who believe will be able to partake in the grand wedding feast when He unites with His Church. The invitation to this glorious, unending celebration remains available, even (and especially) to those who do not feel deserving of being welcomed. 

      If you have read this far, may the Christmas season always be a reminder to you that God loves you and me that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).


Have a wonderful, reflective holiday! 🤍

N