authentic love

love happens in so many forms. lying with a crying toddler rubbing their back, at the end of your rope, praying for just a little reprieve. holding your grandmothers hand across a table because neither of you fit in. driving a hundred miles out of your way to say hello. tears in the airport. passion. anger. all of it. but the love i've found to be the most raw, is the love that comes with commitment to God. when we are truly honoring God in our lives we live outside our will, we become something we never thought possible, we do things not because they feel good but because they will serve others. we draw near to what he whispers and cling to his promises. i'm not saying it's easy, or perfect. it's certainly not something that is easily explained or embraced by others that aren't walking that path, and sometimes it seems like it would be better to just do what feels good at the time. i'm under the impression that while God loves to see our delight, he isn't necessary concerned with what is easy.

i met casey when she was a sophomore in high school. i was her young life leader and she wanted nothing more than to follow God in an authentic way. i have gotten to see her walk through high school, college, and nursing school; always hopeful that she was loving others before herself. we have had countless conversations about love. she stood with me when i married brandon, and she hoped one day to be a wife, a mother. she carefully waited, for carson. and he carefully waited for her. they have prayerfully considered each other, and it is not by the desire to be together that they are getting married, it is their desire to please God.

marriage isn't easy. it's just not. there is a constant battle of wills, wants, and desires that often bring the married to a cross roads. we wonder what happened to the romance, the closeness, when it felt easy. my hope for casey and carson, and for myself is that we will look to the promise we have made to God first and to remember why we choose this path. to not look at happiness, but instead holiness. and the blesses do come, in a way we could not even imagine.
























and just to prove that life and photoshoots are never perfect, i leave you with this image