Let the Fight Begin. Welcome to Wife Army '15!

Welcome to Wife Army ’15! We are a tribe of women who refuse to accept anything but the best for our marriages. We believe that God created marriage to a masterpiece, and we are willing to fight for what is rightfully ours as Chosen and Crowned daughters of God. We know that God brings beauty from ashes. Beauty arises when we are brave enough to talk about messy places, instead of hiding shamefully under them. Lasting beauty comes when we are courageous enough to surrender our ashes to God and allow him to do something mind-blowingly amazing with them.

 So welcome, dear one. I’m Anna Frye, your host, co-traveler, cheerleader, and prayer partner. I pray that our hearts will connect deeply over these next few weeks as we talk about the good, the bad, and the ugly places of marriage. I’m holding up my Sword of the Spirit, which is God’s Word, as I write every blog post and prayer. I promise you that this will be a place that honors God, our husbands, our marriages and ourselves. Will you do the same? I also want to let you know that my husband approves every blog post before I publish it. He and I are a team. We ride this rollercoaster together and hold tightly to one another.

Please allow me to introduce my amazing husband of 17 years -- Craig Frye! My hubby is a funny, spontaneous and ornery man of God who is passionate about work and family. He is an introvert who prefers to live in obscurity and is trying to figure out how to live with a wife who is extroverted, scheduled and sometimes high-maintenance.  He has this super high calling on his life to love his wife just as Christ loves his church. As his wife, I am called to respect his position as husband unconditionally. Together we are learning, one day at a time, what this means and how to live it out in the craziness of life.

Craig and I met on a surprise blind date when I was in high school and he was in college. How was it a surprise? Well, his aunt was very sneaky! She called me one Friday night to “babysit” her four children. Of course I said yes and promptly arrived around dinnertime in my baggy jeans and sweater. I entered through the front door only to meet her nephew, Craig, who had been “invited over for dinner.” After handing us a gift certificate for dinner and a movie, his aunt waved us out the door with the words, “Just don’t forget to invite me to the wedding!” The rest is history.

Two years later we were married! It was the very best day of our lives; however, the honeymoon wasn’t even over before we discovered that marriage was no Cinderella fairy tale. We were two very imperfect people. Seventeen years later, we are still hopelessly imperfect. Our happily ever after looks differently than we imagined. But we believe in imperfect progress fueled by the grace of a perfect God. When times are hard, we don’t tell God that we have a big problem. We tell our problem that we have a big God.

Dear friend, as we journey together over the next few weeks, I want you to tell your problem that you have a big God. This will shift your perspective. Believe that God is more than able to bring beauty from the ashes. This is going to be a powerful few weeks! Make sure to come back tomorrow. I'll share about the day Craig and I discovered we were in a loveless marriage. Also, I'll share 7 Ways You Can Love Your Husband Today. Our scripture prayers begin Wednesday with a Prayer Point that is sure to transform your marriage. 

This post is part of a blog series hosted by Anna Frye, founder of Chosen And Crowned Ministries. Anna's heart is to raise up a growing army of women (#WifeArmy15) who courageously pray scripture over their marriages and expect mind-blowing results. This series runs from Oct. 19-Nov. 13. Join the Wife Army and invite your friends at www.ChosenAndCrowned.com/blog.