Two Became One

My cousin called today to let me know the video he made from the wedding was ready. Check it out by clicking here Steve & Amanda!

Watching it really took me right back to that day. Which means he did a good job! So much emotion goes into your wedding day. There's anxiety, worries about what might go wrong, laughter, excitement, nervousness, etc. But in the midst of all of that there is just a simple joy. Joy found in knowing you are about to enter into a lifelong relationship with someone you absolutely love & adore. That emotion is what came flooding back to me as I watched the video.


I can't help but think of the beautiful picture a marriage portrays of Christ loving the church. Just as Steve & I became one through marriage, we become one with Christ when we accept him as Lord & Savior. Ephesians 5 describes it best. We see a wife's role described by submitting to her husband as the Church submits to Christ.  The husband's role is described by loving his wife as Christ loves the church. I used to cringe at these verses. I honestly did not like to think about having to submit or yield to the authority of another person. I thought of it as losing my own independence or something. But I view it in a whole different light now. There are times when I am completely consumed and just can't stop smiling because of how much I love Steve, but mostly because I can see how much he loves me. See the church, those who are followers of Christ, submit to Christ out of love. Christ loves us so much that he gave Himself for us. It's kinda like Steve goes out of his way to show his love for me. He tells me all the time and he shows me through his actions. I must say Steve & I are very far from loving each other perfectly. We are humans who mess up like everybody else. Hopefully, through God's grace & mercy, we are able to strive to love each other and live as God has called us to. And by His strength, we come close to showing each other love like Jesus. Jesus went out of his way to show his love for us.


"In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!" (Philippians 2:5-8)


That is love...selflessness, sacrifice, humility, and obedience. I think about the simple words I spoke as wedding vows on that day..."I, Amanda, take you, Steve, to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish until death do us part." I cannot begin to keep these vows without selflessness, humility, sacrifice, and obedience. I definitely cannot keep those vows outside of a relationship with God.


See entering into a relationship with God is much how I described the wedding day. You might have anxiety, worries, or be nervous. You may have guilt over your past. Maybe you think you don't deserve God, which none of us do btw. But there is a simple joy about it. A joy knowing you are entering not just into a lifelong relationship, but an eternal relationship. An eternal relationship with the God of the universe who loves you. A perfect God that we are separated from because of our sin. But a God who chooses not to just leave us stranded in this. In light of this, I must take a second to explain another attribute of God other than love. God is also just and because he is just there is punishment for sin. The punishment for sin is death. You may recall the old testament stories of people sacrificing unblemished animals to pay for their sin. See Jesus humbly came from heaven to earth. He lived the perfect life we cannot live. He took the punishment of death that we deserve. He became that unblemished (having no sin) sacrifice. He did all of this so that we don't have to be eternally separated from God, but can have an eternal relationship with Him. John 3:16 familiar to anyone? It's not just a verse that everyone seems to know, it's absolute truth!


Steve & I shared vows with one another and gave rings as a symbol of our love and commitment. We became one. I am no longer just Amanda living for myself and he is no longer just Steve living for himself. God has united us and we are living one life together. Now, on a daily basis, we have to talk to one another and do things that continue to build our relationship and honor our commitment to one another. Admit to God you need Him and accept the love He has for you. Commit your life to him and enter into the most important relationship you ever can. You will no longer just be you living for yourself and a world that does nothing but lead to emptiness. Then spend time in His Word, spend time praying, and spend time doing what He calls you to do. Not because you are trying to do these things to win over his favor, but out of love.


"We love because he first loved us." - 1 John 4:19