There has been a bower of weddings this year with more still to come. Each one is a constellation of choices and sacrifices, about roses and hors d'ouevres and swishing dresses. As the day approaches people put their lives on hold to board planes and start their cars to travel hundreds or thousands of collective miles. They come because when the music begins there is nothing quite like being there.

Also this year there have been anniversaries... 10 years... 23 years... 35 years... 50 years... 72 years. Every one of those marriages entails sacrifice because who we are when we begin is not the same as where the Lord is leading us.

Not all marriages endure. Yet whether or not there is a ring on your finger each of us can love commitment if only because God is committed to us. And like the heartbeat that pounds beneath your ribs without your awareness or assistance He is working to pump compassion through your veins.

When we are willing to sacrifice for something that may not break through the hard ground for another ten years or fifty years then God has the humus He needs to create a love that even a bride can not imagine.