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"Love is doing whatever you need to do to help people see and savor the glory of God forever and ever. Love keeps God central because the soul was made for God." -John Piper

There is this man in my life, my boyfriend, Kraig Joshua Bartel and I have been together for a year now. At the moment, he is one of  the most encouraging people in my walk with Christ. We met in New Orleans on a missions trip last spring break building a roof. He lives in Oklahoma and I of course am in Colorado but the distance has turned out to not be of any difficulty. It gives us the privilege of talking on the phone every night. Anyhow...

It amazes me every day how much Kraig encourages and challenges me in my walk with Jesus. Kraig is a man who bases his life on the Truth of the Bible in every aspect of life and every decision he makes. The most important thing to me in a relationship is that the other person constantly reveals more and more aspects of God's character to me. Kraig and I have a relationship that is based only on loving God and glorifying Him and if we lose center on that, we know we have no purpose. Luckily, Kraig does a very good job of keeping me accountable and guarding my heart. The most recent thing that Jesus has used Kraig to show me is that I should always strive to grow closer to Jesus. Non-stop. Prior to this year, so much of my walk has been a roller coaster. I hit a peak and feel as though I am suddenly "on fire for God." I begin to think that I couldn't possibly be a "better Christian" and then I sadly become incredibly prideful. Then comes the downward spiral in which I am broken once again and lose focus. Kraig reminded me a while ago that I'm never going to be equal with Jesus and I now have a passion to constantly pursue the heart of God in both highs and lows.  I know that without Jesus, I am nothing. I seek to always get to know my Father better. I have a heart of joy and acceptance of grace. I have been humbled over and over and I thank Jesus for his use of Kraig in my life every day.