{"id":1227,"date":"2016-02-12T09:00:02","date_gmt":"2016-02-12T15:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=1227"},"modified":"2019-05-17T13:26:50","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T18:26:50","slug":"newlyweds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2016\/02\/12\/newlyweds\/","title":{"rendered":"Newlyweds"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"2:11:16<\/a>by Lydia Floren<\/p>\n

Have you ever spent time around a pair of newlyweds? Over the Christmas break, all we\u00a0Florens had the privilege of hanging out with the freshly-minted Mr. and Mrs. Andrew and Monique Graaff. Andrew (or Aundrew as we like to call him) and Monique were married December 17, at their home in Johannesburg, South Africa. After spending a week honeymooning in Durban, they buzzed back home for Christmas day, and then, the next day, got on a plane to come visit with us. They had been husband and wife for a total of 8 days!<\/p>\n

All the kids were home for the holidays, and, by the time they pulled up to our house, we were in full Floren mode. (I know, this makes some of you cringe.) Movies, football, games, teasing. Intense discussions. Friends stopping by. Lots of laughter. And of course, food – massive amounts of food.<\/p>\n

I am sure that Monique was overwhelmed by all of our Floren-ness. Andrew, on the other hand, acted like he never left, at least when he was interacting with us.<\/p>\n

But Andrew was definitely different. Settled. Smiling. Tender. Happy. I\u2019ve never seen him so happy!<\/p>\n

It was easy to see why. Monique is special. She is gentle and strong, and sensitive and friendly, smart and talented. And she is beautiful (stunning, in fact). But her beauty is so much more than her physical features. Monique is one of those rare individuals who has learned to receive God\u2019s unconditional love, and she shines with that love (as well as the love of her adoring husband\u263a).<\/p>\n

Newlyweds are in their own little world. Not rude, by any means. Just set apart. Andrew and Monique called each other \u201cMy Darling.\u201d They exchanged tender glances. Andrew brought Monique coffee in bed. Monique served Andrew lunch. They snuggled and cuddled, and laughed and whispered. And they smiled. A lot.<\/p>\n

Sometimes their eyes just followed each other, as they moved around the room.<\/p>\n

You know, God\u2019s gaze follows each of us, as we move about our lives. And He looks at us with a tenderness that can take our breath away. He wants us to live in the circle of His arms, knowing we are completely loved and cared for. Completely forgiven. Completely flawless in His eyes. We are delightful. Beautiful. Magnificent.<\/p>\n

The more we bask in the love God offers us, the more beautiful we become. We are settled. We smile a lot. We shine, and scatter our joy like rose petals at a wedding, blessing everyone who crosses our path.<\/p>\n

Want more? \u00a0Read the recent post “Someone”<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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