Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Runaway Bride

The hardest thing I've ever done in my life was tell Christ, "I do."

Years ago, Christ asked me to marry Him and I said yes. It was a happy day and life seemed to just begin. I loved Him, went on dates with Him regularly and even held His hand in public. People knew I was with Him and I was unashamed of that. We would talk late at night, early in the morning and even in short bursts throughout the day. Life was everything other married people told me it would be...joyous, exciting, rewarding. He was the best groom anyone could ask for.

Until, one day He asked me to start acting like His bride. He wanted me to love Him the same way He loved me, to follow His lead and to put His wants over my own. He had expectations I was to meet that, quite honestly, I didn't feel like meeting. He wanted me not to cheat, to remember I belonged to Him even when I didn't think He was around. I was supposed to give up the other things that came between us and stop doing the things that hurt His feelings. All of a sudden, this amazing married life wasn't so amazing and this was not what I signed up for.

So I ran. I ran as far as I could go. I didn't even tell Him I was leaving. To make it worse, I had the nerve to call Him every now and then and promise I'd return and this sad Man actually believed me and told me He'd be waiting. But why would I want to go back to that life? I had everything I wanted without Him. I could do what I want, be who I want, be with who I want and feel nothing. The single life was everything other singles told me it would be...fun, free, careless.

Until, my single life put me in a situation I didn't want to be in. I was in trouble and all the singles in the world couldn't help me. Don't get me wrong, they tried but were incapable of saving me from my Self. Locked up, I made phone call after phone call until I called the only person left that I knew would answer, my Husband. I didn't want to call Him but I had nowhere else to turn. I just knew He would say, "I told you so" and remind me of all the warnings He gave me about trying to live without Him. I knew He would use the letters He wrote as evidence of His foresight and question me about why I didn't listen to Him the first time.

But He didn't. He didn't bring it up. He didn't even let me explain my Self. Before I could say anything He cut me off and said, I want to renew our vows. 
     Puzzled I asked Him to repeat Himself and He said again, I want to renew our vows. This trouble you are in will pass; I will save you from it but before it happens and you forget me again, I want to renew our vows.
     Speechless all I could mutter was, "Ok" and He began the ceremony right then and there.

Do you promise to love me with all your heart, all your mind and all your soul? I Do.
Do you promise to put me above above anyone and anything in this world? I Do.
Do you promise to do as I say and follow my lead? I Do.
Do you promise to trust that I always want what's best for you? I Do.
Do you promise to love me whether Rich or Poor? I Do.
Do you promise to love me whether Healthy or Sick? I Do.
Do you promise to love me whether Happy or Sad? I Do.
Do you promise to love me even when you don't feel like it? I Do.
Do you promise to love me even if it means giving up something or someone you love? I. Do.

That day, I finally understood what it meant to be married to Christ. I didn't become a good bride automatically but every day I tried to be a better bride than the day before. Even today, I do all that I can to stick to the vows I made to Him that night. I make sacrifices, I follow Him when I don't know where it will lead and I've given up things that I love but, this time I know what I signed up for when I said, "I Do."

Being married to Christ hasn't always been easy but it's sure been rewarding. Watching how people are blessed by Him through me never ceases to amaze me. He and I laugh about it all the time when we think about where I've come from. But not only has He blessed me in more tangible ways than I could name, but He's taught me to be a blessing to my future wife. She will have a man who knows what it's like to be a bride. A man who knows what it's like to want my own way and believe the world revolves around me. A man who knows what it's like to say things I don't mean and mean things I don't say. A man who knows what's like to expect to receive the world but gives a city in return. And if my future wife is any of those things or more, I'm a man who has been shown the example of how to love unconditionally with patience, kindness and forgiveness. All of this to say, 

The best thing I've ever done in my life was tell Christ, "I do."

No comments:

Post a Comment