Wrangler Dani

It’s odd, the reactions we get when we announce that we’re getting married. In a culture that views commitment as stifling and a lifetime marriage as downright primeval, those of us that choose to buy the ring, live apart until we say “I Do” and choose a common life – with no asterisks, pre-nups or fine print – are swimming upstream.

I was idly talking with my stylist, somewhere between the shampoo and trim, when I mentioned I was moving. Her eyebrows raised as she realized that I was not moving in with my hot fiance, but in with family, so Adam and I can save money but still wait to be married to live together.

She stopped mid-scissor, studying my face. “Wow,” she breathed finally. “You guys really must have something good there.”

I tried to explain that we do – but it’s not that the stars aligned and we fell into this extraordinary love, just two lucky ducks. Love is a beautiful thing, but it’s not all we need – hence the divorce rate that skyrockets once the sparkles fade and the real world troubles begin again. It’s scary to see marriages fall apart and skepticism surround what for us is an exciting new chapter. It’s hard to explain to the World that we’re not making a giant mistake, that we won’t “try before we buy” and that God never intended for marriage to become a bad word, a ball and chain on our love. It’s heart-breaking to see divorce cut its painful swath through the church, leaving wounded in its wake and making young couples who are just starting out second-guess, wondering how they can possibly stay afloat in such a hostile sea.

But we are holding on. Adam and I made a commitment when he slid this beautiful ring on my finger, and we’ll make a bigger one – “Til Death do us part” – in four months. We are not letting Satan win. We are not giving up the dream of a home and a family and a powerful, life-changing love as God intended it. We are called to let our lights shine, and when two lights come together as one, it is even brighter and more powerful than we could ever be alone.