Wedding Fervor

This spring finds us running full force in wedding mode as my oldest son is getting married.  This is the first of my children to marry and a brand new transition for our family. In June, my husband and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage, so I find myself  lately often tottering and reflecting between the 'new and the old" of marriage. 

The 'new' is so fresh and exciting.  Preparing, shopping, planning...it is so much fun as we get our bride prepared for her special day.  A huge part of this is the wedding gown.   We look for just the right balance of lace, beads, a long train to make our bride radiant. Why is this dress so special?  Why the long trains, the excessive fabric, the elaborate detail?

Time Warp Wife shares that because it symbolizes the crown she will be to her husband. Her beauty is the outward reflection of an inner heart. We’re not dressing to represent the wealth of our family, we’re dressing to represent the treasure hidden within.  When a bride is clothed in her wedding gown, she is radiant.

Her integrity is a gift to her groom, and her dress represents that. She’s set aside for him, and only him, in the same way that we are set aside for Christ. A virtuous wife is a crown to her husband. Her noble character is a gift of love that brings honor to him.

Now....having been married for almost 25 years, I have learned that the wedding day is only the beginning.  This radiant gift and treasure the wife is to be can fade through the daily routines of caring for him, the home and eventually the family. This inner beauty must be cultivated daily!  

This radiant beauty shines through as we work to develop these gifts  Just as the new bride continually learns and refines new skills through the years, these areas of the heart must be diligently learned, practiced and live out.  This brings about the inner beauty of a radiant wife which is a true gift to her husband and family for generations to come. 

A glimpse into the inner beauty of a radiant wife includes the gift and characteristics of:

• Honesty. He can trust her to take care of his household and also his heart.
• Purity. She’s set aside for him and only him.
• Humility. Standing humbly before God, she takes up her cross daily.
• Strength. She’s ready and willing to fight for her marriage.
• Considerate and Kind. She is sensitive to the needs of her husband and walks in humility.

This is a beautiful way to sum up the life of a virtuous wife:  "Risen from the dust, like a diamond she shines. She’s unbreakable. Made strong by faith under pressure."

A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones. – Proverbs 12:4