Dear future husband,

I have prayed for you endlessly, but let me expand on why I have. There have been countless nights when I have cried myself to sleep after numerous heartbreaks, asking God why I deserve to be treated like the dirt on a old worn shoe. I have been talked down to, ridiculed, manipulated, and made fun of because of my heart, personality, and everything I stand for. This isn't to be taken lightly, either. I have asked and prayed for God to help me to be the woman that I need to be -- not just for you but for myself as a person -- and to learn to stand on my own two feet. He's helping me daily and mending me from my past hurts, unkind words that have been spoken against me, and times I have been made to feel unworthy. But one thing in particular that I have asked God for is to shield you. Protect you.

I know life hurts sometimes, for I have definitely experienced it, but I ask God to hold you close -- so close that you can feel the rhythm of his heartbeat in some way. I hope in those times when you feel so lonely and lost that God speaks to your soul and soothes every painful memory and present burden. I've often times heard this quote, "A friend is someone who sings the song back into your heart after you have forgotten it," and I pray that God is the friend that reminds you every single time you forget -- because I know that you are human and you will. But God is a comforter and a friend, and he'll be there when the rest of the world walks out. It doesn't just stop there, though.

I ask God to help me be the woman that you need in your life. I want to be someone that you look up to, someone that you ultimately admire. I want to be the one that your heart longs for after a bad day but also someone that you need in your life for spiritual guidance. I pray that I can be someone that you are proud of, excited to introduce me to your friends and your family -- because they matter to you, they matter to me. I pray that I show you gratitude and genuine love on a daily basis, even when I am or you are difficult and hard to love. I pray that I can be there for you, someone to talk to when life seems to be too much or when you are just having an overall bad day. I want to be the woman that greets you with a smile and a hug, always showing you some form of affection by words or actions. I want to always make you feel loved and cared for -- to show you appreciation because, I know all too well, it is needed.

I hope also that I can make you good home-cooked meals followed by sweet tea that makes you beg for a second glass! I pray that I can be myself around you -- and that I can bring out the best in you. I pray that we always make each other a priority. I pray that I can evaluate your checklist and make you analyze why you ever had one in the first place -- because God uniquely made me with my quirks and all. I may not be the "ideal" woman of every man's dreams, but I pray that I will be just absolutely perfect in your eyes. I may not fully understand every sport you are drawn to or like your taste of music, but I pray that you will always look past those things we do not have in common -- and always remember that in that time, you have time to indulge in your own interests without me there. And that is OK.

Can I be real, though? Although I pray for you often and I ask God to help me be the right woman for you, I ask Him to help you be the right man for me.

I pray that you will not just treat me each day as if it were our last together (but I understand you are human, come on now). I pray that you look past my past and my imperfections because my past does not define who I am -- it shows how I have overcome and I am strengthened and will not let the enemy defeat me. This is something I pray for so often recently because it burdens me. I want you to know that my heart is pure and so full of love and grace and that is only because God has broken me beyond my comfort zones and has shown me how valuable I am to the King. That I am beautifully unique and that I have a story that can reach a multitude of souls to show them they are worthy to be loved. I pray that you open your perspectives and your heart so much -- that you can see my heart for all it stands for.

In this, I can only hope that you understand me and why I am the way I am. I pray that you promises you can keep, loyal to the core, and always aim to achieve the best for yourself and as we become one, it brings us both other on a different level. Please forgive me on my bad days -- not just bad hair days but my moody days and my days where I just feel anxious or that the whole world is out to get me. Just be there for me. Use kind words and just uplift me, and I promise I will always do my best to do the same. I pray that we always forgive again and again. I pray that we work at everything -- together -- so that we can be fulfill a happy and lifelong marriage. I pray for raw honesty, and I know sometimes it will hurt, but I pray that we always seek to be real with each other so we understand each other equally so that it is never one sided. I pray that you seek God wholeheartedly and fall in love with understanding Him and the rush of not knowing what is yet to come, only holding on to faith and consistency.

I know marriage isn't easy. Oh, by any means. I can only hope and pray that we never let each other go, no matter how bad circumstances may seem, and we never let the expectations of our generation become a reality. I hope we never cease to let the enemy take us captive and begin to win us over thinking divorce is the answer -- thinking someone else will suffice. No. I pray that we always turn back to one another and hold each other closely, through the tears and the laughter, we fight back and win the victory over our marriage. There are so many obstacles life will throw our way but the Lord brings two together to become one, so with that being said, when the enemy knows God has put two together -- he only wants to destroy it. I pray we never stop fighting. I pray that we never let our money become the ruler of our lives; although we need to be hard-working and consistent in our careers, I want us to always remember what is most important.

I pray our children (if that's in the picture) will see and experience a love that is displayed so beautifully that it only leads them to wanting a marriage like their parent. I pray that our kids never feel left out or as if we are absent in their lives. I want to shed them with so much love that they know they are so worth it. I pray that we always keep family a priority -- and we never fail to make others feel apart of our family. We always welcome people with four arms, ready to embrace all walks of life. I pray for our hearts and our discernment -- for our life together but also for our own well being that we never lose sight of the one most High. I pray that we hold each other close so that one day we can meet our Maker and know that we did all we could for Him and that maybe because we were together, we made a difference in others lives, or maybe even our own. I pray for love to fall from the skies and into one another -- so much that we get a glimpse of God's love in an earthly form. That is love.

Love,

Your future wife