A White Wedding

This evening I stumbled across the beautiful story behind a photo that went viral on the internet of a couple praying together before their wedding. It’s inspiring because it shows what a relationship can be like with God at the centre. She depicts the struggle of the wait but reassures us that it is worth it. It makes me see that ‘Prince Charming’ is worth waiting for. Divorce rates today tell us that not many people are cut out to spend the rest of their lives devoted to one other person. That’s why we should never fool ourselves into settling for anything less. If the person you are in love with is not drawing you closer to God now, they surely won’t be when you need them to as things get rough later down the track.

I have copied the love story here for you to have a read. Enjoy :)

The Story Behind the Photo

Moments before I was to walk down the aisle my soon to be mother in law came in the dressing room where my bridesmaids and I were all gushing with giggles and fluttering about finishing last minute details.

“Sweetheart, your groom has called for you!”.

In a nervous tizzy I said, “What?! I’m not ready! I have to get my shoes and…” She had already taken my hand and led me to a corner, where my groom was waiting. I barely sat down; I was filled with so much anticipation! So much excitement! So many nerves!

“Is he going to like my dress? Does my hair look pretty? Can he see me?!”

Right around the corner sat my soon to be husband, I so was nervous he might see me yet secretly hoping to catch a glimpse of him. In my excited state I was the first to speak,

“Hi sweetie! We’re getting married today!”

“I know baby and I want to pray with you before we do.”

There we sat around the corner hand in hand, and together we bowed our heads. People were rushing about; the wedding coordinator directing people here and there, the photographers snapping photos and the bridal party enjoying each others company. Yet in that moment, in the quietness of our hearts and minds, my husband and I were alone in the presence of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

My husband prayed that God would bless our marriage, that through thick or thin together we would never lose hope in one another. That instead of focusing on each others imperfections we would always rely on Christ’s perfection. That we would wake up every day and chose to love one another not through our own strength but by the power of Christ’s perfect love.

With our hands clenched tightly to one another together we said “Amen”, both with shaky voice and just like that I was whisked away to blot the tears off my face and put on my veil.

After my bridesmaids, mother, mother-in-law and every other girl in the room had finished zipping, curling, tucking and blushing me up I looked in the mirror. There I stood wearing my pure white wedding dress, ready to walk down the aisle to my Prince Charming.

See, he is not only my Prince Charming because of his incredibly handsome looks, or wonderful humor, or the fact that we have so much in common. He is my Prince Charming because he helped me protect the most precious gift that I owned, my purity.

Soon after we had started dating I nervously told my Prince that I was a virgin and planned to be until the night of my wedding; to which he replied he would have it no other way.

Throughout our dating relationship and engagement we constantly fought, what at times felt like a losing battle. We fought temptation with prayer, scripture and accountability. I had friends checking up on me if they knew we were together late at night and he regularly met with other Godly men to pray for strength. At times, especially as the wedding grew closer, we thought we were attempting to do the impossible.

“Why are we doing this?” I would ask in my weakness, and he would remind me, that it’s because God had told us too.

“I can’t do it, I can’t… this is too hard!” he would confess to me and I would pray for his strength.

When I walked down the aisle in my white dress, I looked straight into the eyes of the man that had laid himself down to protect and honor the wife that God had given him.

When his eyes first caught mine he looked into the face of the woman that had waited for him, the woman that would support him and love him for the rest of His life, through good times and bad.

I share all of this because in that prayer we prayed, which was captured here on camera we asked the Lord to use our wedding to bring Him all of the glory that He rightfully deserved. We had not gotten where we were by our own strength, but by His hand of protection on our relationship.

God has used this photo to inspire hundreds of thousands of people already and for that we are humbled and honored! I wanted to take it a step further and give God praise and thanks for how we arrived at that quiet corner, holding hands and ready to begin our lives together.

(Original post can be found below)

http://thepowerofprayer.tumblr.com/post/40525128644/powerofprayer#notes

Jesus > Religion

Watch this video clip and encounter an immensely thought provoking poem that confronts us with the differences between being religious and being a Christian.

Growing up in a conservative Baptist church, I know what it means to be mindful of tradition and to have respect for the things of the past. We sing hymns, pray and pass around the red, velvet offering bags. Only after encountering people of other denominations am I seeing the vast differences that span within the Christian faith.

Pentecostals, Uniting Church, Catholics, Anglicans, Non-Denominational, if they believe the Bible and live by what it says, they are my brothers and sisters.

I love that I can speak with people from all over the world and have an instant connection with them through our faith in Jesus. It is just like meeting distant cousins you never knew.

I have always noticed that people believe slightly different things, but as long as they believe the fundamental truths, I turn a blind eye. Why is it that now, ‘religion’ is suddenly getting in the way?

I am meeting people whose acts of worship feel like barriers between us. I cannot understand. I cannot relate. I cannot see past these rituals to the truth.

If I strive hard to understand, I can see how these rituals seem appealing, yet I feel they are unnecessary and their appearances are merely superfluous grass, blocking our vision to see past toward the glorious flower that is salvation by grace.

Religion looks good. It is appealing. It makes us feel like we have some control over our destinies but if we believe that anything we do will earn God’s favour, we are simply kidding ourselves.

In Matthew 6:5- 8 Jesus says:

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ³ But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. ⁶ But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”

Ultimately, religion is a show and Jesus was encouraging us to break free of that and to search out our motives and genuineness of heart. As Christians, we ought to care more about God and what he thinks of us than what the people around us see.