Marriage Moats-The Bride
Published: Thu, 05/12/11
| Marriage Moats | Caring for Marriage |
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 Once I went to a wedding and slipped in near the back. I was not especially close to the couple, though I certainly wished them well. But when I saw the bride sweeping up the steps I felt physically moved by her exquisite beauty. She was so bright I actually looked up to see if there was a stream of light coming down to her from the window. I had seen this woman many times on ordinary days, but today... today she was the form of love itself. Every person in the room was drawn to her by a force that I can only call longing. She was a source of what my heart needed... she was at once unselfconscious, innocent, and lovely. Her eyes were on her husband, leaving all of us free to look at her. How is it, that the love of one woman for her husband can swell to touch each of the hundreds of people present? Marriage is compared to the church. When I ponder what qualities they have in common, I think of commitment. A bride has chosen to give her heart to one man, and he finds that incredibly alluring. As a church, we are invited to give our devotion to the Lord above all else, and when we do, we are beautiful as well. When you say "I do" you are signing up for a lifetime of work. It may not feel like toil in the beginning, but a few years into it you realize that this is a conveyor belt of repetitive duties with no end on the horizon. Did you think this through? Not really. Our participation as a church can seem that way too. Contribute again? Serve more? It may feel as if we were too starry eyed to read the fine print in the beginning, but I think God knows that it is only through a half century of effort that He can transform dirt into celestial material. There is no express line. The loveliness that shone down on the bride that day was precisely that.... love. Her love for one man came pouring down as fast as she could catch it, and will continue to stream as long as she keeps her face turned toward the sky. The quality that makes a church different from a country club, or a crowd at the mall, is love as well. When all of our faces and hearts are riveted on the Lord God Jesus Christ, His power and unceasing devotion comes surging down on us with a beauty that covers us with innocence and unselfconsciousness. It is not about us anymore. It is about commitment, about serving, and about the inextinguishable supply of love. Photo by Jenny Stein
www.caringformarriage.org
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