The first year of marriage is a time of learning the most intimate thoughts about the one you love. It means discovering that he hasn’t yet learned to put the toilet seat down and she doesn’t roll up the toothpaste tube.

Its an exercise in giving up, giving over, just plain giving. You soon learn that it isn’t all about you anymore. I knew before marrying my husband that he loves hunting. We changed our wedding date so that he wouldn’t miss the bow hunting opener. We spent one day of our honeymoon hunting. He hunted – I waited in the car. He didn’t much appreciate my beeping the horn when I thought he might be in danger. Not quite sure how I thought that would would help anyway.

I got accustomed to seeing dead birds in the refrigerator with rigor mortis already setting in. He had to tolerate going to bed with a woman with rollers in her hair and sweat socks on her feet. Gone were the days of trying to impress. Now it was a matter of putting up with each other’s reality.

Each of those tiny adjustments were just the beginning of a lifetime filled with them. Compromise is right up there with laughter in importance. You must put aside your own personal needs and take on an attitude of selflessness, but still maintain the same personality that drew you together in the first place.  Not always an easy task.

We can never fully mirror the love that Jesus has for us, but we can use His servant attitude as an example. When you are fully devoted to the one you love, you put them first.

As years pass, you become more and more of one mind, despite some disagreements, but every step brings you closer together and closer to your Creator.