This afternoon, I witnessed the marriage of my beloved cousin Jessica. Though I did not meet Jacob, her new husband, until earlier this week, it was obvious that he was devoted to her and would make a great father figure for her son Colton. Their wedding was simple, and the reception was short with no dance and a homemade cake, but it was fun nonetheless. All in all it was a great day to celebrate two wonderful young adults becoming one and setting out on their new life together.
The simplicity of today's wedding was contrary to what is promoted by Hollywood and the media. Ad slogans like "He went to Jared," "Every kiss begins with Kay," and "A diamond is forever" all point to one main idea: True love is shiny. If a man truly loves you, he will always buy you shiny expensive jewelry. The best weddings are ones set in a scenic place, with numerous attendants and a lavish reception afterwards with a long dance. The cake should be professionally made by a certified baker with delicate iced details and beautiful piping. Anything less must mean that the love shared is not actually true love.
I must say I disagree with this. True love isn't shiny. True love is messy. True love understands that there will be times when things don't work out quite the way they were planned. True love means sticking together through the hard times as well as the good. True love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" and "never ends" (1 Corinthians 13:7-8).
The ultimate expression of true love came to earth 2,000 years ago in the form of a little baby boy. The King of Heaven was born to a young girl and after she gave birth to him, she "wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7). This little baby grew up to be a man, and about three years after the beginning of His ministry, He was hung on a cross to die a death He didn't deserve to pay a debt we never could. The only thing shiny about it was the shimmer of blood clinging to His flesh. Then three days later, He rose from the dead so that when we die, we can enter into eternal life with Him.
So what am I looking for in a man? I want someone who's humble and true because I care more about the beauty of his heart than the attractiveness of his face. I want a man who loves God with all of his heart and only looks down to see me because God whispers to him, "She's the One." I want someone that realizes that my past is a part of me, but it does not define me. I want someone who forgives my faults, and works with me to help me fix them. I want a man that knows when I need him to speak, and when I don't need words, I just need to know he's there with me. As for the ring, I don't need anything fancy, just something prettier than anything I would buy myself (and nickel-free). I would much rather he spent less on my ring and more on our honeymoon. Shiny rings can become tarnished, lost or broken, but memories last forever. Honestly, the right guy could propose to me with a ring that he got out of a vending machine and I would still say yes. If he's the right one, the ring he gives me has no bearing in my acceptance. The love that we share and the draw of spending the rest of my life with this man is all I need.
The simplicity of today's wedding was contrary to what is promoted by Hollywood and the media. Ad slogans like "He went to Jared," "Every kiss begins with Kay," and "A diamond is forever" all point to one main idea: True love is shiny. If a man truly loves you, he will always buy you shiny expensive jewelry. The best weddings are ones set in a scenic place, with numerous attendants and a lavish reception afterwards with a long dance. The cake should be professionally made by a certified baker with delicate iced details and beautiful piping. Anything less must mean that the love shared is not actually true love.
I must say I disagree with this. True love isn't shiny. True love is messy. True love understands that there will be times when things don't work out quite the way they were planned. True love means sticking together through the hard times as well as the good. True love "bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things" and "never ends" (1 Corinthians 13:7-8).
The ultimate expression of true love came to earth 2,000 years ago in the form of a little baby boy. The King of Heaven was born to a young girl and after she gave birth to him, she "wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger because there was no place for them in the inn." (Luke 2:7). This little baby grew up to be a man, and about three years after the beginning of His ministry, He was hung on a cross to die a death He didn't deserve to pay a debt we never could. The only thing shiny about it was the shimmer of blood clinging to His flesh. Then three days later, He rose from the dead so that when we die, we can enter into eternal life with Him.
So what am I looking for in a man? I want someone who's humble and true because I care more about the beauty of his heart than the attractiveness of his face. I want a man who loves God with all of his heart and only looks down to see me because God whispers to him, "She's the One." I want someone that realizes that my past is a part of me, but it does not define me. I want someone who forgives my faults, and works with me to help me fix them. I want a man that knows when I need him to speak, and when I don't need words, I just need to know he's there with me. As for the ring, I don't need anything fancy, just something prettier than anything I would buy myself (and nickel-free). I would much rather he spent less on my ring and more on our honeymoon. Shiny rings can become tarnished, lost or broken, but memories last forever. Honestly, the right guy could propose to me with a ring that he got out of a vending machine and I would still say yes. If he's the right one, the ring he gives me has no bearing in my acceptance. The love that we share and the draw of spending the rest of my life with this man is all I need.
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