On this day, twelve years ago, I woke up with butterflies in my stomach, thrilled to be marrying the man of my dreams! The day was full of lots of makeup, rushing around, tears, and of course ended in vows of a covenant relationship. But, that day was also a culmination of so many dreams, expectations, and preparations. As I wake in bed this morning reliving all the feelings of my wedding day, I rejoice! I rejoice in the Lord for giving me such a man to love me and honor me the way my husband does! And as I look over at him peacefully sleeping, seeming so far away as there is currently three tiny bodies separating us, I see the fullness of the anticipation from that day. It’s beautiful to be in a place where you can look back upon a moment and remember where you started and marvel at where you are now! I couldn’t imagine my life without my husband! We have had a lot fun times, some not so fun; some down right sorrowful, others funny as heck lol. But through all the times, WE BOTH know and understand that our vows mean something! That covenant we made on July 19, 2008 wasn’t just words or a feeling to us, it was a promise and a CHOICE to keep that promise, no matter what! And I am so very thankful Alex chose me, and I him.
I couldn’t help but also think about our covenant relationship with Jesus as our Savior. In Ephesians 5:25-27, the bible relates the love Jesus has for us to the love a husband has for his bride. Jesus has presented us blameless and without blemish for the time of His return! If we are in Christ, we are already blameless, made holy, and without any wrinkle or blemish! That’s amazing to me! As I continued thinking about the many ways a marriage covenant perfectly illustrates the relationship we have with Jesus, I was both very encouraged and challenged. Encouraged because Jesus CHOSE to make a covenant with us when He sacrificed Himself for us in order to make us clean. And we chose to marry Him when we said yes to Him in giving our lives to Him. And we are made ready for His return, just as a bride prepares herself for the union of her beloved. Challenged, because sometimes it is hard to not get all up in my feels. Instead, I need to be fully convinced that both my covenant with my husband and that of my Savior is a promise and a choice that I never want to walk away from! The life I lived before them is nothing compared to the endless joy I experience now!
And as my husband and I stood and made promises to God and one another, Jesus promised us He would never leave us nor forsake us, that He would be faithful, and that He would love us forever no matter the baggage we thought was too much for Him to handle. Hallelujah! I am so grateful my Jesus, the lover of my soul has vowed to be with me through any circumstance! And I am honored to make myself ready for Him as He has chose me and made me white as snow for the feast with Him! He is mine and I am His!
I want to encourage you this morning that if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are already prepared for the wedding feast! If you have not, please pray this prayer with me, because His return is eminent and it’s time to slap that makeup on and get that hair did yo!
Jesus, come into my heart, forgive my sins. Wash me, set me free! Thank you Jesus for dieing for me. I believe you rose from the dead and are coming back for me. Fill my with your Holy Spirit Lord! If you prayed that prayer, congratulations! You just made the best decision of your life! Please take it one stop further and join us! Or find a local church in your area.
Amen?! I pray this blog blessed you! Have a great sunday y’all worshipping our King! I’m going to have a wonderful day looking upon the face of my handsome hunk of man on our anniversary! Until next time, Beloved…
BE BLESSED!!!