I’ll never forget my first annual job review. I walked into it like a prisoner on death row. As a recovering perfectionist and professional people-pleaser, I just knew that my work over the past 365 days somehow fell short. I spent a week preparing myself for the blow – a meeting detailing how less-than-satisfactory my performance had been.

It didn’t matter how many days I worked my tail off that year, I always ended the day feeling like I wasn’t doing enough by the time I shut my computer. If there was still more work to do at the end of the day I must be slacking, I thought.

Needless to say, I was shocked when the review was lighthearted, friendly, and positive.

I’m not known for being optimistic, but when I chose our wedding reception location I was banking on the fact that rain wouldn’t be in the forecast.

Optimism has never worked well for me.

It didn’t just rain…it poured.

And the rain didn’t come alone. It brought a tornado warning as well.

From the time I was a young girl, my faith was something I took seriously. I loved learning about this incredible God of the Bible that loved me in my sin, so much so He sent His own son to take my place in death. I loved reading that He is alive and that He works everything for my good and His glory. And I loved the realization that the pages of Scripture I read were God-breathed and alive, applicable to my day-to-day life. I believed all of it.

Or so I thought.

Then freshman year of college happened. And along with the regular ups and downs that come with freshman year, it was the most stressful year my family had ever experienced.

“Jesus first, others second, and yourself last.”

It was a dictum ingrained in my mind growing up in church. If I’m a Christian then others’ needs should always precede my own, right?

Heck, the Bible makes it clear. Look at what Paul says in Philippians:
“In humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

It seemed as plain as day to me. How could anyone argue that you can follow God and put yourself above others? It’s an oxymoron.

But about a year ago, someone did argue it to me.

The challenger wasn’t a non-Christian either… it was my Bible study leader, friend, and mentor – easily one of the most giving, loving, and servant-hearted people I’ve ever met.

That caught my attention.

Well, the day is finally here – our first anniversary! Year one is officially in the books!

Photo Credit: Love The Renauds

I’ve thought about this day many times thanks to the classic “We Had the Best Year Ever” Anniversary Facebook Posts –an expected post of course if you follow the unspoken Facebook protocol. Which is exactly why I made sure to post something special myself.

But I can’t help but think that many of the thoughts I have about this first year are a lot different than what I thought I would be thinking (that’s a lot of thoughts/thinking in one sentence…my head hurts).

Here are 7 Things about the First Year of Marriage that I didn’t Expect: