I hope that you have been praying for me as much as I have been praying for you. Although you may think I am perfect, I have a long ways to go and I pray that we can grow together. And if we’re going to be together until death, then trust me, you are going to need these prayers:

1. I pray that you love Jesus even more than I do. I pray that you can draw me closer to Him and that we can grow in our faith together. I pray that you love Him more than you love me. I hope that you will turn to Him when we don’t see eye-to-eye and not to your buddies. If you already have a strong relationship with Him, then together we can do nothing but grow nearer and nearer to Him every day.

2. I pray that you have patience. You will need it with me. I change my mind more than you can imagine and it will eventually irritate you, but when it does I pray that you are patient with me. When we have plans made for a week, and at the last minute I decide that I just can’t go, I pray you will understand and kindly stay home with me to binge-watch Netflix or delve into a new Bible study.

3. I pray that you will love my family, despite their shortcomings. No family is perfect, and I pray you will remember that with mine. I am a product of my family and sometimes I may show it in full force, and in those times I pray that you remember what I have seen and been a part of. I hope you will accept them and their imperfections, but also strive to give our children parents that have an unrelenting love for one another.

4. I pray that you will try to understand my anxiety. Even though I don’t understand it fully, I pray that you will try. I am going to get upset over what seems like nothing, and I hope you know that I can’t help it. After I blow things out of proportion, I will beat myself up for overreacting and I pray that you will welcome me with grace and forgiveness. I pray that you will choose to love me even when I am unlovable.

5. I pray that you won’t hold my past against me. I hope that you will remember that I haven’t always had an intimate relationship with Christ and because of that I made some bad decisions. I pray that you will choose to leave those decisions in the past and accept me for the woman of Christ that I am now. Because believe me, if I could take back some things, I would do it in a heartbeat, but what’s done is done.

6. Lastly, I pray that you have been praying these same prayers for me. I know that if we are both devoted to the Lord and centering our relationship around Him that we will honor Him every day. By honoring Him there isn’t a doubt in my heart that we will break that chain of broken marriages that I have observed throughout my life.