One Flesh

When Brett and I were newlyweds (we're getting close to five years of wedded bliss, so we're slightly more seasoned ;-) we were a part of a Sunday School class called The Rolling Stones. It was our first Sunday School class at our new church and it was a great time of growth for us as man and wife. The class taught us a lot about goals to set and strive for, as believers, in our marriage. The teacher that we started out with in that class was passionate about building within us an understanding of being "one flesh". That phrase is a reference to Genesis 2:24, "For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh". I've always thought that was a beautiful depiction of marriage, and I've always claimed it in our marriage - he is part of me and I am part of him - but this week, I really SAW that I am no longer complete without my husband. We are one flesh.

Brett went on his first international mission trip this week. We've been saving and planning for this trip for close to a year. It is a trip that our church has done every year for the past several years, and in January when the church announced the trips scheduled for the year, Brett felt a very clear calling to go. There was a month where we debated and prayed about whether or not I would go as well. I wanted to very much. I knew that it would be a great time of growth, and it is always my desire that we grow TOGETHER more than we do separately. And I've always wanted us to travel! Travel has always been a desire for me, but it's not something that I grew up doing, so I don't really know how. But Brett was not comfortable with the thought of me going. The trip itself is perfectly safe, but the country is not necessarily a safe place for Christians to be. When it came to the point that Brett said that if I insisted on going with him, he couldn't go, I realized it was not the right time for me. I wanted to go, but he was called to go, and there is a difference.

So we've been preparing for months, and this week he went. This week, I was single again. I was on my own for 8 days and 7 nights, and I have never felt so incomplete. I had a multitude of people praying for both of us, and the worries that I had about being in the house alone (I thought I'd be scared to sleep alone and that I would be tempted by all of my usual sin traps) never came to fruition. But I was sad. We truly are one flesh, and half of me was on the other side of the world. I wasn't useless - I accomplished a lot this week, though there is not as much to show for it as I had hoped - but I was lonely. I was not alone a single night or day, but there is no substitute for my husband.

I am happy to say that he is home =-) He got home last night and I am whole again. I am thrilled with what God showed him on the trip and am joyfully looking forward to whatever God leads us to in the future.

On a different note - the Funky Finds Holiday Shopping experience is 26 days away. AAAHHH!!! I have so much work to do! If you are in the Dallas area on November 9th and 10th, I hope you can make it out! It's going to be an adventure!