Tears came down the eyes of many in the church as the radiant bride walked down the isle. Her pure beauty and evident anticipation to meet her groom flooded out any darkness that lingered on the cold and bitter January night in Wisconsin. The bridegroom waited at the end of the isle, eager and beaming with a childish smile as he anticipated the arrival of his bride. The magnetic love was felt throughout the church as the bride was pulled toward her groom, each step taken with growing excitement. Her final steps toward her groom meant her final steps of life as a single woman. She was seconds away from dying to herself. Both the bride and the groom were prepared to put the wishes of each other above their own as they were about to become one under God. Her veil was lifted as the two joined hands preparing to say their vows, committing to one another until “death do us part.”
The beauty of marriage is not limited to finding “true love” or finding a partner for life, but the beauty is found in its reflection of Christ’s love for the church. Many women look forward to the day that that they walk down the isle to meet their life partners, and many men look forward to the day that they will wait at the end of the isle. What many forget to realize is that there is a bridegroom already waiting for them at the end of the isle. He is the only one that will never leave nor forsake them. He will never abandon them, nor will he let them down. He is jealous for us, he pursues us, and he waits patiently for us to give our hearts for Him.
This bridegroom is patient and kind. He does not envy, he does not boast, and he is not proud. He is not self-seeking, nor is he easily angered. He gives us grace time after time and keeps no record of our mistakes or offenses. He rejoices in nothing but the truth. He is the only person who we can count on to always protect us, and is the only perfect steward of our trust. He will never give up on us and always perseveres in pursuing our hearts. His true and pure love gives us hope that we may be reunited with Him and one day live life to the fullest, free of pain and death, free of longing and heartbreak, and free of disappointment and hurt. We are beings created to long for life beyond what we have for a reason. This longing can only be fulfilled when we choose to meet our perfect bridegroom at the end of the isle and make a commitment to live by the grace of Jesus Christ.
Life is exhausting when we chase about things, being tossed and turn by the twists that life throws at us. We reach and long to find love and fulfillment in anyway that we can…through sex, food, money, and approval. But in the end, it is nothing. In the end, that falsely painted picture of love and material fulfillment is a lie, leaving us with nothing. Even the sacrificial love that we experience in relationships is only a mere reflection of the love that Christ has to offer us. We are not guaranteed a comfortable life. We are not promised life tomorrow. Our loved ones are not promised life tomorrow. But we are promised eternity in heaven if we choose to accept the only pure and stable love available to us, and that is Christ’s overwhelming, mysterious, and most pure love that He showed us on the cross.
A Beautiful Breakthrough 