I’m loving this summer marriage series and the chance to introduce you to women with hearts for God and passion for godly marriage. So far I’ve enjoyed having Joanne, Holly, Becky and Dana with me. If I could figure out how to do a virtual group pedicure party, it would be just about perfect … I’ll work on that. 🙂 Today’s Summer of Wedded Wisdom guest has a smile that lights up a room, and her sweet southern accent is like music to your ears. Her journey into motherhood has been one of refining by fire, but she is truly a joyful woman who loves to bring light to the world around her. I’m so blessed to introduce you to Christen Price and to give you the gift of hearing her heart.

When Julie invited me to guest post on her blog about marriage, I figured I would write about the hardships of marriage or a “how-to love your husband” type of post. My post would be deeply personal, touching, thoughtful. I’d let you in on what my husband and I fuss and fight about and how we resolve our problems. Sounds like a great post, right?

While that post would be great, I just can’t write it. Because…well, because it just cuts too deep. This year has been extremely tough on my marriage and I’ve written recently about why you shouldn’t give up on marriage. It hurt to admit that my marriage had been taking a beating but at the same time miraculously getting stronger. God is so interestingly good.

When marriage is art

Last week was my husband’s birthday. I’ve celebrated eleven birthdays with him and every year I struggle with what to get him. Polos and dock shoes are an easy pick, along with belts and watches. I’ve gone sporty with a punching bag. Some years, I go all lovey-dovey with a drawing I sketched or give him a memory box with mod-podged pictures of us all over. I’ve even made birthday cakes from scratch. But, after a while, the gifts either get super expensive or not very thoughtful. Do you ever struggle with what gift to get your husband?

Well, with his birthday drawing near, I scrambled to pick up a DVD and some new running shoes. But, I felt like he needed something else…something out of the ordinary. Then, I remembered seeing some old ticket stubs on our kitchen counter. We have three year old twins and needless to say they get into everything! My husband keeps all of his ticket stubs from concerts, movies, and games in his dresser drawer. I hate opening that drawer because the ticket stubs explode like a confetti gun and it’s just one hot mess if you ask me.

On a whim, I pull into Michael’s and bought nine of those clear glass picture frames. I figured I could make some wall art with all of the tickets. It was really easy, all I had to do was cut some scrapbook paper out to fit the size of the frame and used some double sided tape to adhere the tickets to the paper. Just snap the glass back on the front and voila! Art is made.

Because, aren’t birthdays truly art?

Birthdays are the celebration of the art God created: you.

My husband doesn’t like to make a big deal about his birthday but I just can’t help it. If he was never created, my life would be incomplete. While gifts are material, the love behind them is anything but. I want to celebrate him, God’s very own work of art.

Yep, he was excited about the new running shoes and couldn’t wait to watch the bonus features on the movie. But, the art? He smiled in appreciation, thanking me for the unique gift. That smile was worth the extra effort; it gets me every time.

God is the Ultimate Party Planner of our lives. We are his unique gift, the ones he spent a little extra thought on. He wants us to celebrate life because that is his gift to us. Sometimes life doesn’t go as planned and marriages struggle. But, sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all.

Unexpected life circumstances are much like a surprise party; catching us off guard and making our hearts skip a frantic beat. It usually isn’t until after the hardship we see the beauty.

Be a piece of art today, friend. Celebrate the ones you love and the one who created them. Think about your marriage the way God thinks about you: a gift.

Till next time, let your light shine!

Blessings, Christen

Christen Price blogs at illuminate {formerly the uncontainable truth}, where she offers a light for your path. As wife to her high school sweetheart and mother to premature twin girls, she’s learned that God is the Ultimate Party Planner and sometimes the unexpected is the greatest gift of all. Christen is the Children’s Ministry Coordinator at her church, a lover of exclamation points, and gets way too excited over food and fabric. You can find her on Facebook and Etsy, or on Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter @chris10price.