From high tea at the Grand Floridian...
...to princess parties and ballet...
to my fairytale wedding day on a Caribbean island...
I simply adore being a girl. In fact, next to Christmas, my favorite holiday is Valentine's Day; because in my girly ways I love the whole idea of love itself.
But candidly, if I were to hang my hat on this thinking, it would not be healthy at all. You see, when a person is in love with love, they care more about the benefits of the relationship than the person with whom they are in the relationship. Being in love with love doesn't bode well for enduring the difficulties and conflict that are sure to arise. To put it bluntly, a lover of love won't care as much about the person as much as what that person can do for them.
As I was lunching with my friend, Heather, this week (another fun girl thing!), she made a sweet and meaningful analogy about our testimony as followers of Christ. In a nutshell, it's this...
Coming to faith in Christ = wedding day
Ongoing relationship with Christ = marriage relationship
So frequently it seems many Christians associate their testimony with their "wedding day" when they first came to Christ. But in reality, we are to have an ongoing testimony - a marriage relationship with Christ - that will continue to grow and thrive and transform us over time.
Now to be fair, it's absolutely a blast, and even important, to reflect on our "wedding day" testimony when we came to Christ! Just as those of us who are married reflect on our wedding day - sometimes in an effort to rekindle that first love we had for one another. But let's also make sure that we aren't simply in love with love where Christ is concerned. Ask yourself:
Am I in this relationship because of what Jesus can do for me?
Do I really care about what he wants?
When I obey him, do I expect him to do something good for me in return?
When things go poorly, do I turn my back on Jesus?
Am I striving to cultivate a relationship with him; to really know him more?
If our only testimony is to tout how awesome our wedding day was, it's time to get busy building the testimony of our marriage relationship. After all, it's during the day-in and day-out ups and downs; joys and heartaches; victories and failures where true intimacy happens - and the true love story comes to life. Our relationship with Jesus is to be an ongoing testimony of an on-fire love life. And that's what this girly girl finds both irresistibly attractive and delightfully satisfying about life with Jesus. It's so much more than a wedding day...
I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness. I am like a bride with her jewels. {Isaiah 61:10}
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