Preparation of the bride

i'm still working on this and filling it out. but let me know what you guys think.

Preparation of the Bride

The wedding day: I was nervous don’t get me wrong. But everything leading up to the actual wedding was actually pretty easy. I woke up, Chad and I went to breakfast, and then we went to pick up my car from being detailed. I showered. I shaved, in both directions! I threw on some cologne. Put my tux in the car, drove to the garden where we were married, then I just hung out. Let’s face it there isn’t a whole lot more a man can do. So I hung out with my groomsmen and welcomed guests and family. I had no idea what was happening just a few yards away.

Susan had been preparing for days, weeks, even months. She had planned out her dress, flowers, hair, shoes, etc. She had received pedicures, manicures, skin treatments and other things I didn’t really understand well enough to explain here. On the day of the wedding she had arrived in the morning with her bridesmaids and some close friends. They had taken her to buy new make-up and they proceeded to put just the right mixture of colors on her face to accent the beauty that God had given her. Then they literally spent hours fixing her hair with these little curly things that has miniature roses dispersed throughout. They encouraged her, helped her not to cry, and made her feel special. All the while, she was thinking of what I would think. Will he like this? Will he love me and care for me?

Meanwhile…I was shaking hands.

When the time came I was extremely nervous. But there was that unforgettable moment. The bride music played and I waited for her to come. Since we were in a garden, I wasn’t really sure where I would catch that first glimpse of her. I knew she was coming. You could feel it. You could feel the power of the people standing, praising her. They turned their heads to see how beautiful she was. When I finally saw her father bringing her to me, I was stunned. She was the epitome of beauty. I swelled with pride. That is MY wife! Be jealous! She is mine! For those of you who do not know her, Susan has the most incredible smile in the world. When she saw me, she smiled and I have never felt such pride. I had no idea it would be like this.

The wedding was short. The party was fun, but my face was hurting from smiling. Soon thereafter, we became one flesh, one spirit, complete in Him.

Years later, the Lord brought all of these memories flooding back and as I thought of that pivotal moment in my life the Lord began to teach me. It changed my ministry. I want to give you a glimpse of what I learned.

As we know there will one day be a great wedding when the bride (His church) will be finally joined with the bridegroom (Jesus the Christ, who gave himself up for us). I began to see my wedding through that future groom’s eyes.

See, when Susan walked through that garden to join with me, I swelled with pride because she had worked so hard to prepare herself for this moment. She had cleansed every blemish. She had accentuated every bit of the beauty that God gave her. Her friends had doted on her to prepare her for me and as you have already heard, I was stunned. However, if she had strolled through that garden at the last minute wearing sweats, with her hair in a ponytail and no make-up, I would still love her. I would love her no less. And quite frankly she would have still been beautiful. My pride in that moment was not about her beauty, but about her love. She loved me so much that she toiled preparing herself for me. It was all about preparing the bride for her groom.

I was saddened when the Lord revealed to me the state of the church today. I cried as I saw His bride stroll through His garden wearing the same clothes she slept in. Bed head and smeared mascara. But he smiled, because he loved this redeemed woman of the world. And he looked forward to washing her and putting her in new garments. But He had already provided a way for her to prepare for this day. She just did not take advantage of it. Her friends didn’t come to help. She didn’t plan this moment. The wedding went on, they were joined as one, but it could have been so much better.

It became clear to me then that that was one of the purposes that the Lord had given me. I was the friend of the bride who helps prepare her for that day. I will point out those blemishes, so we can cleanse them. I will help her to choose the dress; I will give her the wakeup call and even go to the gym with her. I will spend myself in this purpose, because I want His wedding to be as good as the one he gave me. I want for the angels and heavenly hosts to turn their heads and gasp at her beauty when the Church is presented to Christ. Holy, Blameless, Beautiful, Perfect, Redeemed.