I really missed Songbird this Friday. She usually sprawls across our bed after the family movie to watch “Say Yes to the Dress” with me. Sometimes Maven catches an episode with us if the brides aren’t too over the top. Watching these brides prepare for their trip to the altar leads to much debate. Maven wants to be Cinderella. Songbird prefers sweetheart necklines. Hubby votes for my gown because he’s thinking of his daddy-of-the-bride budget. I suggest teeny wedding parties and receptions (code word: intimate) so they can enjoy more than one bite of wedding cake. Songbird wants 200+ guests. We discuss arranged marriages, marrying someone older or younger, and how to know it’s love in the first place. Really, I’m just grateful we get to delay the fight over guest lists for another decade (or until they escape from their ivory tower, whichever comes first).
Now, it’s not all fun and games because in my world, everything’s a teachable moment. At some point I pause the show and stress the bottom line: It is so much easier to get married than to stay married, so while they’re meeting at the altar to say “I do” please say “Yes.” Not to the dress. To Jesus.
We’ve explained to the little people that saying “yes” doesn’t mean they won’t experience heartache, but they will have fullness of joy. (Psalm 16:11) Saying “yes” ensures them that God will always find them fearfully and wonderfully made years later, when the wedding gown doesn’t fit (Psalm 139:15). Even when they go to bed mad as fire, it means they can trust that His love never sleeps or fails (1 Corinthians 13:8). It means they’ll forgive, bear with, cling to, and treasure, letting no man put asunder—and that includes the in-laws. It’ll help them endure bigger challenges than posting a week of pictures on Facebook.
It all comes down to that moment at the altar, where celebration and sacrifice marry. Abraham met God there when he willingly offered his son. It’s where I gained my family and lost my individuality. It’s where we gain our soul and abandon the world. It’s where God says “yes” to us in spirit every day.
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
