I wish I could tell marrieds: newlywed edition

We are PLEASED as punch (or should be) that you have found your best friend. 

And now you are living with them and have your home together. But as the honeymoon euphoria wears off, be sure to remember us. We were friends as singles and would love to maintain that friendship. It's gonna change. We know that. Just remember we are still here and you are highly valued. 

We are THRILLED (or should be) for your new found love life. 

And we know you are bursting with its joys and awkwardnesses. But please please PLEASE be cautious about sharing these personal details with your single friends (or within earshot of them). No matter how close we are with you, we shouldn't know about that part of your life. Trust me. 

We are REJOICING (or should be) for all of the beautiful home goods you have received as shower and wedding day gifts.

And we know these things are uber important to starting your new home. But understand that (especially for women) they are a glaring visual of the difference between married and single. It'll be difficult to gush over the details of your fine china or the glistening KitchenAid sitting on your counter without feeling a bit left out. So, what if singles are coming over? How do you handle those new, hand-picked, beautiful things? Don't stuff them in the nearest linen closet. Just be kind. And aware.

We are DELIGHTED (or should be) over your new license for physical contact. 

And most of us can't even imagine the joys of sitting on a lap or entwining limbs in public with the person we love. But if there are singles at your movie night parties or Saturday picnics, realize that flamboyant physical contact is going to make it awkward and perhaps a bit humiliating for us. Make tact and restraint your friend in public and we will heap mounds of blessings on your head. Mounds.

We are AMAZED (or should be) at how God led you and your spouse together in such a beautiful way.

And can see His hand so clearly in that. But please remember that He has also given us His best right now. Fight the urge to look on us with eyes of pity and sadness. Do battle with the desire to pair us up as quickly as possible with any available specimen so we too can enjoy your newly found bliss. We'd love help finding the right one, but our lives are not the doom and gloom your newly married perspective may see them as.
......................................

A few years ago, one newly-wed couple had a standing invitation for me on Sunday afternoons. They were careful not to fall over each other while I was in their home. They prepared amazing Sunday dinners and used their beautiful wedding gifts to treat me like an absolute queen. They were so thoughtful and intentional in how they ministered. I'll never forget it.

All of this for A SINGLE!? Someone that can't speak intelligibly about the horrors of wedding planning, joys of fine china, and pleasures of honeymooning? *GASP* Perhaps it was a waste. A barely tolerable invasion into their highly valued privacy.

But to me? It was a beautiful display of using the advantages of marriage for the glory of God and His kingdom. What would I tell newly weds? As soon as possible, do this. And me thinks all this other advice will fall into place.  

Beth 

Curious about the other posts (ok, post) in the "I wish I could tell marrieds" series? Click Here