Losing it All

I was reading in Sacred Marriage the other day, when I came across a paragraph that really grabbed my attention;
Godliness is selflessness, and when a man and woman marry, they are pledging to stop viewing themselves as individuals and start viewing themselves as a unit, as a couple. In marriage, I am no longer free to pursue whatever I want; I am no longer a single man. I am part of a team, and my ambitions, dreams, and energies need to take that into account.
-Sacred Marriage (77)

Lately I had been thinking about how, after I got married, I sort of lost my freedom and my independence. I jokingly told my friends that once you get married, you just start losing things; your own bank account, money, friends, freedom, etc. I was joking when I said it, but there was a truth to what I was saying. I did feel like I had slowly starting losing things since I said "I do".
After all, we did get a joint checking account and now we are on a tight budget (especially since Phil is the only one working). I am not allowed to go spend willy nilly, and I have to ask if I can buy things. I can't just go galavanting off with my friends and take random roadtrips. No longer can I spontaneously decide to lave the country and go on a mission trip for a month or two. And right after we got married, we moved to Quincy, which is no where near any of my friends. So, in a sense, I did lose several things after getting married.

But ya know what? I have gained so much more! I married my best friend and I get to spend the rest of my life with a man that makes me incredibly a happy. And after reading the passage in Sacred Marriage, I realized how true it is that the two become one once they are united in Marriage. And that's okay. In fact, it's more than okay. It's great, it's amazing. It's perfect.
It has taken me a while to understand this whole concept of dying to self. But I think that I am starting to understand it more and more each day. The truth of the matter is that it's not about me. It's about US! And I am excited about no longer viewing myself as an individual, but as a unit. As a couple. I am no longer free to pursue whatever I want; I am no longer a single woman. I am part of a team, and my ambitions, dreams, and energies need to take that into account.