It's amazing how much God has blessed me & my husband over (almost) 14 years of marriage.  Tonight, we have been chatting about the marriages of several families we know--marriages experiencing overwhelming trials.  We certainly didn't start off on the right path when we married.  Knowing each other for only a month, at 19 years old, we ran away from our parents and eloped.  He was a poor redneck who had never held down a job in his life.  I was a city slicker from an upper-middle class family, who had worked from age 16, lived independently and had two years of college under my belt.  Our backgrounds couldn't be more different.  We were both firstborns, and according to Dr. Kevin Lehman (The Birth Order Book), firstborns generally shouldn't marry, because they both want to be the "boss".  As far as dumb choices go, this has to be one of my top five.  However, God has given beauty for ashes and through wise, godly counsel, we have built a very good marriage.  In fact, for our ten year anniversary, we had a formal wedding to signify a new beginning--dress, tuxedo, church, cake and the whole nine yards.  While, we certainly have our moments (see TV Trials & Big Mouth Mamas from a few days ago), nowadays, we are generally content with one another.  I give God the glory for changing me and continuing to change me.  I certainly have many faults.  I am sometimes bossy, demanding, perfectionistic and don't know when to shut up (unfortunate traits associated with being a firstborn).  But, at heart I have a desire to submit to and honor my husband, and he honors my efforts in a way that is very humbling.  My husband is gracious, even when I fail, and he has allowed me to quit my job and come home with the children.  When I was working, I knew so many women whose husbands would not allow them to quit their jobs because of the lifestyle they wanted to live.  My heart breaks for these women, and I pray that God will give their husbands a new vision.  I praise God for humbling me, breaking down my pride, and bringing me back to Him.  It is only through His grace that I can become the woman of God that I long to be.  May I continue to decrease, so that He (and my husband) can increase.