Just a little while ago, accompanied four dear people, I climbed to the top of a New York building on the Upper West side, knowing when I left that place my life would be forever changed.

There looking out over the grand city coated in soft yellow light, standing across from my beautiful Fiancé dressed in white while soft wind blew her dark wavy hair, I made vows in front of friends, the city, and God.

I made vows to love, serve, unconditionally commit, protect, and live my life with the woman before me.

In a world that sees love as something silly, old fashioned, or unrealistic, I stood in the face of what modernity has made it and listened to what my Creator told me it was meant to be.

In the world around us modern culture as diluted relationships into sad and hollow affairs, things to be gained through swiping on a phone and discarded after cheap and inhuman interactions. The world has told us that commitment is silly and we should seek only to be happy and to discard people if we don’t get what we want. The world’s love has grown cold and lifeless, leaving more wounds and damage than the life-giving, life-long, life-affirming thing God created it to be.

My beautiful fFancé (now wife) came together, each with great wounds, imperfections, and insecurities, and asked God to enter in to our broken humanity and through our promises to each other find the beautiful redemption God has hidden inside deep, committed, and real love.

Keelia is more loving, long suffering, inviting, interesting, godly, humble, fun, and beautiful than I ever imagined I could find in a partner, and her willingness to accept and commit to me with all my baggage is a testament to the redeeming love God offers.

So, yes we eloped, on a roof, surrounded by friends and God, and it was insanely romantic, intimate, and movie like (I mean of course). But more than that, it was a statement of belief that true and beautiful love does exist, it’s worth fighting for, and when committed to, life-changing.

-Nathan