dom & jas

just two human beings

[domandjas]

a letter to dom

dear dom, 

i don’t think i’ve told you this, but when i was younger i used to read a tumblr themed “letters to my future husband”. and this is a letter to my future husband, a letter to you. 

i know that the reason why we don’t write too much is because we are always physically together and can verbally convey our thoughts to each other - i once told you that you were my human journal, and you once told me that the reason why you don’t blog as much anymore is because you have me. there is some beauty in that :) but recently i have been rediscovering that i need to write not just to straighten out my thoughts, but also to remember! so this is for you.

just wanted to let you know that i see you and i see all that you are doing for our relationship, for our marriage, for our future family together. and i truly thank God for that - that you have been so steadfast in kindness, in patience, in love. that you see all the flaws and ugly parts in me and the people around me but still respond with so much wisdom, faith and hope. that you believe so strongly in me when even i am unable to. 

the past week has been slightly tough for you at work - adjusting to doing evening shifts. but in your tiredness i see you trying your best to keep on top of church commitments, wedding planning, work, loving me.

today i drove over at about 11am, we watched service together and went through PLT together. you were tired and you drank two cups of coffee. you apologised that you have been tired recently. 

i have been thinking about the mindset that i used to have with regard to dating/dates. i think i used to see and evaluate each date individually - for e.g. oh, today we had good talks, it was a good date. on another day - i might get annoyed by you and leave the date feeling dissatisfied, and that’s not a good date. but i now see how selfish, self-gratifying that is. and i am learning to discard that mentality and have a new heart and new eyes towards our marriage: a long, continuous process of ups and downs. that should not be evaluated by the day-to-day, which would necessarily fluctuate, a tide falling and rising. 

you know how adverse i am to change. the world keeps telling me how vastly my life will change the moment we are married. there is some truth in that. but i also have faith that many things will stay the same, like the unfailing love that you have for me, and the perseverance we will have in the gospel even though we might falter and stumble. 

i am sure that from now till the day we exchange our vows - there may be more moments of frustration, more tears. but i want you to know that in all this i am immensely, immensely blown away by how lucky i am to have found you. i look forward to calling you my husband, the one whom i submit to and fully love. please remind me when i forget of the higher throne that we both have and can cling to. 

i love you always, with all my heart and for all my days,  jas 

[domandjas]

on kindness

“And of all the principles I leave with you, we have talked so much about our expectation from the partner. Look for kindness; look for purity and all of that. I want to tie this all together with one single principle that I want you to apply to your own life, as I apply it to mine and each one to ourselves. That classic description is the same description given of Joseph, one of my favourite characters in the Bible, where Pharaoh is not intimidated by him because of anything great, but as he begins to study the life of Joseph, Pharaoh is overwhelmed by him. And at one point, he points his finger to Joseph and says to all of his court assistants there, ‘There is nobody in this land like that man, for there is a man in whom the Spirit of God dwells. I would trust any member of my family with Joseph.’ 

Marriage means handing over yourself, your body, your future, your keeping to the one whom you dearly love, although this person may, in many ways, remain a stranger. This tremendous act of faith is something that can unlock in each lover powers of compassion, generosity, joy, passion, fidelity and hope that no one guessed was even there. That is why the confidence of young lovers is not foolish or arrogant, but an expression of a basic fact in human experience that the greatest of human gifts are set to work only when people are prepared to risk everything … and first you risk it before God.”

Ravi Zacharias

[domandjas]

reading James with Dom has been super challenging, and speaks a lot into the trials that i have been battling the past year. but grateful for a God who loves and holds us regardless, who is constantly near, and for Dom who has always, unfailingly, been by my side through it all :) 

i have been reminded to constantly make it a point to ask God for wisdom, knowing that every good and perfect thing comes from Him, and also to trust the character of God - unlike so many things on this earth, He will not change like the shifting shadows. 

James 1:12 - Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for which he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love Him. 

[domandjas]

I love it when you perch your head on my shoulders :’)

[domandjas]

Just finished reading James and was particularly struck but these two verses:

19 My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back,

20 let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins. - James 5:19-20

Made me realize that 1. My efforts to evangelise to my friends/coworkers have been lacking. But more importantly, 2. That I am immensely proud of Jasmine for tirelessly seeking to speak to her friends about Christ, and even reading the bible with them! (Suitemates, em)

Looking back, I am very proud of the progress that Jas has made in her faith. There are still ways to go for the both of us, and I pray that I would be able to lead her well :)

- dom