I Thee Wed

This week I received the pictures from a dear friend's wedding. We have long referred to each other as "kindred spirits." It's a term that transcends the sometimes one-dimensionality of the word "friend." It hints at a deeper attitudinal bonding. And for us, it's like a river runs runs through it: a communion of the Spirit in each of us. A sisterhood that has the insurance of eternal enjoyment. What a promise!

When she asked me to be in her wedding, I was delighted. But when she asked me to play the violin in her ceremony, I was nearly reduced to tears. The thought of serving and beautifying the ceremony of their love with the sweet sawing of my fiddle's strings, harmonizing with the voice of her sister and the guitar of a friend, elevated my heart to a new level of contentment.

"Thy Mercy"

Great Father of mercies, 

Thy goodness I own

In the covenant love of Thy crucified Son.

All praise to the Spirit, Whose whisper divine

Seals mercy and pardon and righteousness mine. 

Hallelujah!

Nearly three months later, the riotous preparation leading up to 8-10-12 is a thing of the past, the life in the succulents and the color of the peonies have faded, the dresses are wrapped in plastic and placed in the attic, and the homestead that was the venue has most certainly held a dozen weddings since. Yet the journey for them has hardly begun.

Talking on the phone with her just yesterday, she sighed, "We have so much work to do." 

500 miles away, I do not have the privilege of witnessing the daily enjoyment of their bondage to one another. Nor do I observe the details of dinner-making and the routines they are creating. The hardships are as prevalent as the high times in marriage, I've realized. But the entire curve - with its peaks and troughs - is constantly moving up the Y axis when the Spirit rests firmly on the X, always pushing us Higher.

The simplicity of the phrase "husbands love your wives & wives respect your husbands," grounds her in a truth that silences pride and promises fruitfulness. Future glory is present hope. Tilled and replanted, her role as a wife (and his as a husband) will continuously be a work-in-progress. And while the naivety of the wedding magazine, spoon-fed, "you're-my-other-half" type marriage is like a bubble bound to be burst, there is an unmatched sweetness in welding your soul to another's and decidedly living to glorify and enjoy Him forever...together.

If you love their wedding photography, check out Elisa & Tres from inContrast images!

And if you want to know more about Kelsey, check out her blog!