What Could Be Better?

A marriage is a lifetime whereas a wedding is a day. So when push comes to shove, the planning is of little importance.

I stumbled upon Budget Savvy Bride (http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/) which for someone who likes to save money just the title intrigued me, but on December 10th, there was a great post on this very subject of what is really important by a bride named Lesley. (http://thebudgetsavvybride.com/2010/12/10/lesleys-thoughts-on-the-wedding-vs-marriage/).

She says,

After hours of working on something and then having to re-do it because I wasn’t satisfied with the result, I had wasted an entire day and accomplished nothing. Nothing! I was tired, irritated, and so mad at myself for not being talented enough to make something that would stun my wedding guests with its awesomeness. I was so consumed with what others would think that about my crafty skills that I was making myself miserable when I couldn’t live up to my own unrealistic standards.

That night, I spent some time thinking and praying. And I realized…I’ve spent so much time and energy preparing for the wedding – what about preparing for the marriage? Yes, we’re doing pre-marital counselling and all that, but what about really spending my time and energy working on learning how to be a great wife, instead of obsessing over centerpieces? What about learning how to love and appreciate my fiance better, instead of re-painting another photo frame because I can’t decide what color it should be? Sure, the little details in a wedding are great, and they make the day extra-special and make the photographs look perfect. But I’m not perfect. And neither is Nate! And in the long run, what’s more valuable to me – knowing that on one day in my life someone admired my hand-lettered signs, or knowing that my marriage is thriving because we’ve taken the time to completely invest in each other?

I think that every bride (take that back every woman) can relate. We spend much of our lives imagining this ideal day and how we will make it special and unique that we lose sight of what God desires from us. So we must make a choice as we have to with each day, to decide whether we seek to do it for God's glory and know that what matters is that we exhibit Christ's relationship with the church not for us to impress all the people will know and become bridezillas when thinks don't go our way.

So ask yourself before you feel a planning meltdown coming on, What do I want to be remembered for? Ask yourself honestly. Do you want to be the beautiful bride with the most creative theme or do you want more? Do you want to grow old with your fiancé and be remembered by your children, grandchildren & great grandchildren for your selfless love for each other? I hope you are drawn to the more. We will make mistakes and have bad days, but by God's grace He uses broken vessels to show His power and how He changes us to be more like Jesus. What could be better?