Shedding Our Skin

Sixteen years ago, this boy had just asked this girl to be his forever. 

She said yes.

And has not regretted it a single day since then!

Reflecting on those last 16 years and looking at these two young 23 year old kids, I think the biggest lesson we’ve both learned is that we are not the same people we were then. We are not the same people we were 5 years ago. And we will, Lord willing, be different 5 years from now.

Because we grow and (hopefully!) we mature. And that’s a good thing. But we have to grow together in the same ultimate directions and still give each other the space and freedom to change. It's about transformation.

The seasons we go through change and shape us. We can either grow together, or we WILL grow apart.

I have a beautiful Crepe Myrtle tree in my yard and this summer it shed its bark. It does this when it reaches maturity. It literally outgrows its old skin and is ready to live in a new, even more beautiful and vibrant one. If I tried to keep the tree from changing, it would die. It IS the change that indicates it has flourished throughout the seasons, and BY changing it is prepared for its next seasons of life. The old bark cracks and falls off; some easily feathers away, and some comes off in shredded chunks and pieces.

Looking at this picture of my husband and I today, I was reminded of that process. The seasons we go through change us. Sometimes the days are easy, and sometimes the winters are harsh. But God provides the covering we need for every season and He always prepares us for the seasons to come - as long as we let Him change us. When our edges peel away, it’s a good thing. Sometimes the change will be easy, and sometimes the change will feel like it is shredding us...but it’s really preparing us, making us even better!

We can’t stay like we were. We shouldn’t want to. I want my husband to grow and change, mature, become more like the Maker, and I want to grow and change that way as well. We should both be changing and growing together, for the same purpose. Through every single season, good and bad.