Weddings

Weddings are interesting events I would say, [hm... it took me three attempts to write that first line] they are a public proclamation of two people's love for each other, and for Christ. This love isn't just a 'romantic' love, where the feeling of butterflies in your stomach, and the 'feeling' in your gut where you know 'Ohhhh this is the love of my life' type love. Not purely the Disney-esque happily ever after, although this wedding theme was... exactly that. No, weddings proclaim a different type of love, a commitment type love towards their spouse.

Recently re-listening to Rick Holland's Biblical Masculinity series<found here>, from 1 Peter, I came across a new definition of love, and marriage that I will definitely be pondering moreso than before. Love as defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "4 Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, 5 does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, 6 does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
8 Love never fails;"

A passage of love that is well-known, but not the first passage of love that comes to mind for me that describes marriage. Yet, why shouldn't it, if this is the love that is supposed to be characteristic of all Christians, of Christ-followers, then wouldn't it make so much more sense that it would be of marriage as well? The foundational relationship that God has provided for us, to allow us to understand the relationship between Christ and the church, Christ and His bride. One of submission and one of love.

to love like this, to learn to love like this, and to have a love like this from Christ our Savior. mind blowing, utterly mind blowing.