In a culture of dramatized media, and unrealistic expectations of beauty, it’s no wonder we long to find “the one”. The one who will hold our hand through all the ups and downs of life. The one who will tell us we’re beautiful every morning before we head out the door. The one who will fight for us, dream with us, and cry when they see us walk down the aisle. We crave affection because this world is so greedily fighting for our hearts. We are told that our stomachs must be flat, our faces must be flawless, and our skin must be a certain color. We are constantly fed lies about our beauty, and each lie received, diminishes our view of our Creator.
Imagine being given a beautiful, hand crafted bowl. Now imagine standing on the street holding the bowl, with the crafter standing next to you. You stand there with the bowl in your hands, and the intricate details are so beautiful and unique that people keep coming up to you and telling you how gorgeous the bowl is. The creator of the bowl is standing right next to you, but you’re the one entrusted with it. Each compliment received about the bowl, you turn down. You stand in the presence of the crafter, and you tell people they’re wrong, and that the bowl is not only not pretty, but in fact, it’s ugly.
How often do we stand next to our Creator and turn down the compliments of His work. Someone tells us our hair looks good, our smile is contagious, or our personality brings comfort, and we say no. I hate my hair, I never smile, no one likes spending time with me. Those aren’t only lies fed to us by the enemy, but they’re actually a huge insult to our Crafter. To look at something the Creator of the world formed with His own two hands and tell it it isn’t beautiful is the worst kind of insult.
I’m not here to tell you that you’re beautiful, intelligent, or loved. You are all of those things, but what I have to say about it doesn’t really matter. Whether positive or negative, the opinions of society should not shape our hearts.
This month, I found the one. My best friend. My comfort. My home. The husband I will wake up next to for the rest of my days. Not only does he shower me in affection and tell me how beautiful I am, but he loves the quirky intricacies of my being so much that he allows me to fall in love with them as well. He respects my past hurt, and shame, and lack of trust. He has spent everyday not trying to convince me of who I am to him, but showing me who he is. On days when I find it hard to trust him, he is that much more vulnerable with me. On days when it’s hard for me to accept his affection, he holds me that much tighter. He has placed a ring on my finger, not as a reminder of what I can’t do, but as a reminder of who I am faithful to.
Falling in love with this man has radically changed my life. The way that he loves me, respects me, and cares for me is more than I could have ever imagined. I think what’s different about him, is unlike the men of this world, he isn’t fighting for my affection at all. On days that I choose not to love him well, he doesn’t walk away. On days when I lose sight of him, he remains faithful. Why wait to start becoming the wife that God has called you to be, when you’re already married to the most loving, caring, and faithful man you will ever meet?
