As 2013 draws to a close, I celebrate God for what He has done in my life and marriage!
This past year my husband and I welcomed home our fourth child, became more active in service to our home church, celebrated our birthdays (his 37th…my 31st), were more intentional in developing a relationship with our neighbors, and enjoyed an anniversary overnight away from our precious children! Those highlights were easy for me to recall because, as I write this, my husband and I are in an incredibly healthy and joyous season of our marriage.
However, when I pause to consider what the year really entailed for our marriage, I am confident the Lord performed a miracle.
After a year and a half of being at odds with each other, Jason and I now have finally reached a single vision for our family! Praise Him! This one issue was a monster for us to overcome and we couldn’t have done it without the Lord! He has moved mightily in my husband’s life and He has changed me as well.
2013 also brought changes for this blog!
In February, darbydugger.com was completely redesigned and along with it, my personal goals. At one time (although it seems like ages ago now) I used to think of myself as a marriage blogger, but now I am finding my voice not in advice that I offer, but rather in sharing my own mistakes.
I struggle to be a wife who honors God, not only in my interactions with my husband, but in the unseen (thought life, motives, etc.) as well. I so desperately want God to redeem my messes and His gentle whisper to me is,
“I can’t redeem something that you don’t share.”
While I wouldn’t say I enjoy being vulnerable… I do appreciate the freedom that confessing my sins brings. It purges my heart of shame and strengthens my commitment to daily work on my marriage.
Looking back over the past year, there are 5 blog posts that I want to highlight:
- I never intended to publish the Marriage Advent Calendar, but the Lord directed and, consequently, it was the most pinned blog post of 2013.
- I received the most comments when I shared about my tendency To Control My Husband.
- So many people have asked me why I deleted my personal Facebook account that I loved being able to clearly state my reasons in Ghosts {Or, Why I Deleted My Facebook Account} .
- My favorite post to write was certainly Musings because I loved God’s graciousness to me in a moment when I needed it! (and because He used Ann Voskamp to personally deliver His message!)
- While it is hard to pick only one “Most Embarrassing Post” (since I am sort of embarrassed by them all)… I think the time when I realized that I am A Wife Who is Poor in Spirit would certainly be one of my most cringeworthy (the tailspin of my thought life is not something I am proud of).
Now, as 2014 approaches, I am begging God to continue to use this space for His glory. During December, I struggled with my attitude towards a person from my past. In this particular case it was that “mean girl” from high school and I found myself delighting in her current struggles! Rather than confessing my sin, I kept the thoughts to myself and replayed them in my mind for my own enjoyment. While that doesn’t have much to do with marriage, the truth is, during that time, I felt the Lord remove His hand of blessing from this blog. I have apologized to the Lord and I want to apologize to you, the reader! I don’t want to waste your time (or my time) writing something that doesn’t have God’s anointing on it.
Tara H says
I just came across your blog via Pinterest. I’ve spent a few minutes reading a few of your posts. I love what I’ve read!! I’m the same age as you and my husband of almost 13 years is 35. We have 5 boys.
I just subscribed so I’ll be around. 🙂 Happy New Year!
darbyd says
Hi Tara! So glad to connect with you! Thanks for your kind words and for sharing more about yourself. We sound like we have a lot in common (although we don’t have a 5th child… yet :)). Happy New Year to you too!
Crystal Green says
We are both being vulnerable with our blog posts throughout 2014 per God’s suggestion it seems. I am going through some of the other blog posts that you highlighted throughout this blog. I look forward to learning more about you. Thank you for being willing to open up your life to us.
darbyd says
Hi Crystal! So glad you found my blog. Looking forward to reading what you write in 2014 as well!