Ahhh, the M word.

Huh?

I’m talking about MARRIAGE.

“Why in the world would you want to about...marriage?” you may ask.

Well, for one, I have quite a few weddings coming up. Weddings are fun, depending if you’re an advocate of love, or if you’re someone who rather just boycott the whole idea. I’m okay with either, or.

I was always very skeptical of love; more so, weddings and marriage. I don’t know, maybe because I got hurt one too many a time and had started to lose hope. Or maybe because relationships are a lot more work than some people make it out to be. Either way, upcoming weddings have me thinking about the whole idea, in general.

Ok, so I’m going to generalize here, but your wedding day is a day that most people dream about. Thanks to Pinterest, we have the entire thing planned out before there’s even a ring, or sometimes a significant other in the picture (guilty).

I am currently a recent Maid Of Honor to my two best friend’s getting hitched (yay!) and one thing that every bride and bridal party knows is that we are striving for perfection on that day. Besides wanting everything to look beautiful, the bride most importantly wants to feel and look stunning.

Speaking for myself, I want to be presented to my future husband all decked out, looking gorg. I mean, would anyone really consider walking down the isle without doing their make-up and hair, while wearing a shabby outfit? Heck no!

BUT, let’s be real: although we present ourselves on the outside as physically impeccable, the truth is, that’s not necessarily the case on the inside. But what makes a wedding so special? Regardless of what baggage you’ve had to carry, or what struggles you and the beau have encountered, that day is to be one of pure joy, bliss, and beauty. You expect your lover to stand there in front of you, committing to loving you forever, despite your flaws, despite your filthiness, and despite the crap that makes you a good ol’ well…sinner.

Yep, sinner. The dreaded S word. Let’s be honest: we all suck. Although we can have our quick and shallow moments of glory, we are still stuck with this dreaded disease of sin. It makes us do things we don’t want to do (Romans 7:15-20), say something stupid when we should keep quiet (James 3:2-8), and ultimately be a selfish narcissist who only really cares about ourselves and our own pursuit of happiness (which by the way, is completely contrary to what a healthy marriage is).

“Uh, Thanks, Kat, I thought this was supposed to be about love?”

Ha. I’m sorry. But, it’s true, we do suck. And I think that’s what makes walking down the isle all the more beautiful. This person knows you suck by now (hopefully), yet they’re agreeing to still commit…forever (eek!). They’re willingly choosing to say YES to you, knowing it might be the best, yet hardest decision they’ll ever make.

That’s some heavy-duty stuff. And truthfully, our (future) spouses are going to fail us. But the most deep and transcending thing about marriage is that it mimics and is intending to be modeled after the very own relationship the Designer and Creator of marriage has with His very own Bride.

Who? Yep, I’m talking about the Groom, Jesus, and His Bride, the Church.

It’s hard to think that God loves us, let alone likes us. But, did you ever stop to think that God actually sees us as attractive? Contrary to popular belief, those of us who cling to Jesus are essentially stunning to Him. Regardless of how much you fail yourself, others, and even Him on a daily basis.

I am overwhelmed with joy in the Lord my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bridegroom dressed for his wedding or a bride with her jewels. (Isaiah 61:10)

In this beautiful passage, God is comparing us to a bride on her wedding day! You know all that work a bride puts forth to make herself look exquisite on her wedding day? Well, God sees us like that naturally—without the adornment—every single moment. What’s the best part? Unlike your spouse, God knows everything about you—every secret, every shameful act, every thought, every—thing.

Francis Chan put it perfectly in his book “You and Me Forever”:

“Just remember that its nothing we did. Jesus took away all of our ugliness. Unlike a typical bride, we are all shabby, grotesque, and woefully unprepared moments before we walk down the aisle. But our Groom beautifies us when we look to Him in faith, and in that instant we become His cherished bride.”

Dear beauty, whether you have a husband of your own or not, know that you have a perfect groom in Jesus. He knows every single part of you, yet still devotes himself to you. And guess what? There is absolutely nothing you can do that will change that. It’s a marriage for eternity.

And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38 & 39)