THE MARRIAGE MIX

So, you may have noticed that things have slowed down around here a bit.  Oh my!  That is certainly true and I am so sorry about that!  Herb and I were abroad for almost two weeks.  I was unprepared for the time it would take for my body to readjust after this trip, and then from there, life kept happening.  So it has been a month since you have heard anything from me.  But hopefully you are still checking in here from time to time!  Just know that I will have something posted here - written by me - by Wednesday night!  From there, I intend to return to my previous blogging schedule!  Until then, please enjoy getting to know this month’s couple writing for He Said***She Said: Josh and Mandy Wright. They married early in college and have spent their entire adult lives cultivating a healthy, dynamic marriage.  I hope you are as inspired and encouraged by them over the next four weeks as I have been!

Josh and Mandy Wright have been married for nearly 11 years.  They live in St. Louis, MO with their three kids Jonah (9), Emma (6), and Amelia (3).  The Wrights are members of Greentree Community Church.  Josh is a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones, and Mandy works full-time in their home.  You can find Josh here.

What has surprised you about marriage?

He Said: I was so young when we were married, I didn’t know what to expect.  It was all a surprise.

She Said: I don’t think that I realized that God wanted to use my spouse, more than anyone else in my life to change me.  He wanted to show me my flaws, hidden motives and self centered behaviors through my marriage.  I would have loved it if I could have been a perfect partner for Josh from the beginning, but that wasn’t the way it happened.  It was hard for me to see that when I screwed up I not only hurt myself but I also hurt my spouse.  I really hated that at first.  I see now that God wanted me to experience the need for forgiveness from another person.  I spent so much of my life making sure that I didn’t owe anyone anything.  I think God knew that I couldn’t give mercy until I had received it.

What has surprised you about your spouse?

He Said: She is very feeling and longs for companionship.  She is a strong woman—she thinks independently and acts courageously.  These were some of the qualities that I was most attracted to in her.  But she needs reassurance, too.  She needs to be encouraged.  She needs someone to be proud of her.  It was both a surprise and an honor to learn that she hoped to find these things in me.

She Said: His ability to forgive.  I am not so good at letting go of wrongs done to me, but I have received so much mercy and forgiveness from Josh that I am quicker to show mercy now than I was before marriage.