Here Come the Brides!
Excuse me, please, if the only topic that comes to mind for this article is
weddings.
Blame it on too many visits to bridal shops. It seems that prospective brides are
everywhere this summer, our daughter among them!
Perhaps you've heard that old quip by an anonymous sage, "All marriages are happy. It's
the living together afterwards that causes all the trouble." It's the "living
together
afterwards" that I'm thinking about.
A happy marriage is one that makes the transition from romance to love--and it's a long
jump. It takes most of us years to leap that chasm, and some of us fall short and end up
spiritual wrecks on the rocks below. To brides of all ages, I offer some thoughts on
romance and love.
Long talks until 2 a.m.
Staying up late and watching an old movie together
Quiet Sunday afternoons with just the two of you
Taking you out to eat
Writing you a love note
The two of you looking at each other
Buying you a new dress for no reason
Listening to soft music
Saying "I do"
Making your vows
Sharing your dreams
A honeymoon
A diamond ring
Laughing at private jokes
Reading love poems together
Walking on the beach at sunset
Kissing him
His telling you that you were made for each other
Cherishing the perfect man you think he is
Holding hands the first time as young lovers
Not getting mad when he falls asleep in the middle of a conversation--at 8 p.m.
Getting up early to have your devotions and make breakfast
Cheerfully inviting his parents and his six brothers for Sunday dinner
Doing the dishes while he takes a nap
Writing a weekly letter to his mother
The two of you looking to see how you can meet the needs of others
Folding laundry every day
Listening to loud snoring
Treating him like your honey when he doesn't deserve it
Staying within your grocery budget
Praying together
Walking out to the cold garage to see the huge hole in the muffler he wants to show you
Obeying him
Cherishing the imperfect man he actually is
Holding hand the last time as old lovers when one of you is dying
For all times, forever
Brides-to-be, young wives, older wives, lets pray together:
Father, teach me to want to love more than be loved, to want to serve more than be
served, to want to give more than receive; for self-giving is hallowed and sacred. Teach
me that life's rarest joys come from its largest sacrifices of love. Let me be the first to
give in, the first to care and the first to share. Let me be quietly attentive to my husband's
needs and to obey not just his spoken commands but his unspoken wishes. May I, dear
Lord, want my husband's way more than I want my own. Please remind me, loving
Father, that when I love and serve and obey my husband, I am loving and serving and
obeying You. What other joy can equal that? And when I fail as a wife, give me grace to
forgive myself and to begin again and again. In Christ's Name, Amen.
