Lionheart

So it has gotten to be that time–the time when invitees, family, invitations, flowers, rentals, photography, contracts, etc all start to close in around us.  The stress of the minute details has a way of taking away from the true focus of what this special day is really about.

I have seen it too many times–individuals who are getting married succumb to the pressure and the stress of what is supposed to happen on their day to remember.  Money issues, who to invite, who not to invite, florists, photographers, etc–all get in the way of what the wedding is actually supposed to be about.

As Mel and I are in our period of engagement, we have begun to focus on the details of that special day.  I have seen how our plans have somewhat shifted–it is so easy to get caught up in all of the “junk” that comes with a wedding–all the minute, miniscule details that, quite frankly, in the grand scheme of things, don’t really matter.   Yes, flowers are important-yes, photography is important-yes, what invitations we choose is important, yet, it is so important to constantly check our focus.

Last night, Jesus really impressed upon me the purpose of this special day.  He has really broken Melissa and I down in our views of August 27th. He has shown us that even though this is our day–its not about us–it is all about Him.  Too many times in our society, a marriage ceremony is viewed as a big party–thats not the intention–it is a day set aside to commemorate what Jesus has done in the life of two individuals.  It is a day that should be Gospel-focused; a day that is focused on what He has done for us and through us by bringing us together.  The wedding–the two being joined together–is a perfect representation of Christ and His bride, the church.  When we view that day as a reflection of Jesus, everything else gets a perspective shift.

When we view August 27th as a day where the Gospel will be presented in an amazing way through a marriage–EVERYTHING pales in comparison.  Rental fees, photography, decorations, food, flowers–all pale in comparison to the fact that the sole purpose of this day is to bring glory and honor to Jesus.  Wow!  It is absolutely amazing–when we get the focus off of ourselves and onto Jesus we are then free to lay it all at His feet and respond in an attitude of worship.  When its done for His glory, we can rest in the fact that everything is going to fall into place–everything is going to work out.

When we step aside and give it too Him, we can rest in what He will do.

Time is an invaluable resource.  It is so valuable due to the fact that there is only so much of it–60 seconds in a minute, 60 minutes in an hour, 24 hours in a day, 7 days in a week, 52 weeks in a year, etc.  Such a set resource is an ultimate equalizer for all people.  It is a level playing field.  Each individual has to decide how to spend their time.  The way time is spent says a lot about the individual.  Many character traits are revealed in the use of time such as loyalty, devotion, dedication, etc.  There are so many things that compete for our time–work, class, relationships, faith, hobbies, “things we just have to do”, etc.  The fact of the matter is, we have to choose what to spend our time on.  Our choice is a direct reflection of who we are as individuals.

Jesus has really been dealing with me lately about how I spend my time.  With the ton of things that I have to get done each day, it is so easy to shift things around and shorten things in order to get things done and ‘check it off the list’.  He hit me hard the other day as He brought to my realization that I have not been giving Him the time that I should.  This hit me like a ton of bricks, but it was so true (Thank God for those moments!).  I have not been dedicating as much time to Him as I should.  I have not spent as much time as I should cultivating that relationship with Him.  That’s the essence of a relationship–it calls for an investment of time.  A relationship with Jesus is not built by checking the quiet time off the list each day.  It comes from a genuine hunger and thirst for Jesus.  It comes from a hunger and thirst for more of Him–a hunger and thirst for righteousness.  There is no better way to spend our time than in cultivating a relationship with Jesus.  When we give Him our time, it is an act of worship.  We use what could be argued as our most precious resource and give it back to Him; it is truly a sign of complete dedication and devotion to Him.

When I think about how I can improve things in my life, I like to go to the ultimate example–Jesus.  He set the standard, and there is so much to learn from Him.  One of the things that He did throughout the Gospels was get away to have His time with the Father.  On countless occasions, the Scriptures indicate that ‘Jesus withdrew to pray’ or ‘Jesus withdrew from the crowds’ or ‘Jesus went up to the mountain to pray’.  Jesus saw the importance of this continual time with the Father.  It was where He was strengthened and built up.  It was in these times that He received sustenance and direction from the Father.  He was the Son of God, yet He saw the importance of constant fellowship with the Father–He continually cultivated their relationship.  He only had about 33 years on this earth, so if He set aside some of His valuable time to spend with the Father, then I am taking notes.  Jesus use of His time was worship unto the Father just as our use of our time should be worship unto Him as well.