Admittedly

I’m a romantic

 

and when I heard the words to the song recently

 

about how

 

She is his life

and She is his whole world

 

it sounded so beautiful

and so

 

well,

romantic

 

but I thought about

how my stance has changed

since I was young,

a young romantic

 

Truth be told

when I met Mr. Wonderful

and started dating Mr. Wonderful

and married Mr. Wonderful

 

he was my whole world

 

I could barely think of much else

 

I loved God too

but I cared more about seeking Andy’s attention

than seeking my God

 

But of course

 

earthly affections do not completely satisfy

they don’t completely fill you

 

and when a person is your whole world

you can’t help but be disappointed

 

it’s inevitable

 

because that’s not how it’s meant to be

 

No one fills and satisfies

a soul’s longings

 

even for romance

 

like Jesus

 

He’s the heroic groom

for His bride,

His follower

 

And as I’ve gone through the ups and downs

of life

I am thankful to have gone through them

with Mr. Wonderful

 

and yes, I’m thankful for romance

in my marriage

 

but

 

my love for my Savior

my focus on His affections

my longing to do His will

to do what I do out of love for Him

has surpassed all other loves

 

I’ve come to realize

that He has been pursuing me

romancing me

loving me

all this time

even since the womb

 

And when I focus on Him

other relationships in life pale in comparison

 

but then all is as it should be

 

and I am free to love people

without expecting them to be God

 

 

– Susie Stewart

 

 

…Then I gave you My divine promise to always be your Beloved, and I entered the sacred covenant of marriage with you. I wed you, and you became Mine.

– Ezekiel 16:8 (VOICE)

 

As a young man marries a young woman, so will your Builder marry you;

as a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you.

– Isaiah 62:5 (NIV)

 

For your Creator will be your husband; the Lord of Heaven’s Armies is his name! He is your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of all the earth.

– Isaiah 54:5 (NLT)

 

I will be faithful to you and make you mine, and you will finally know me as the Lord.

– Hosea 2:20 (NLT)

 

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 bridegroom dressed for His wedding
or a bride with her jewels.

– Isaiah 61:10 (NLT)

 

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

– Revelation 21:1,2 (NLT)

 

“Go and shout this message to Jerusalem. This is what the Lord says: “I remember how eager you were to please me as a young bride long ago, how you loved me and followed me even through the barren wilderness.

– Jeremiah 2:2 (NLT)

 

The marriage covenant of a husband and wife is to be a beautiful representation of Christ and His beloved, the church.  The earthly relationship should never overshadow the Divine.

– Susie Stewart

 

For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her…

As the Scriptures say, “A man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.”  This is a great mystery, but it is an illustration of the way Christ and the church are one.

– Ephesians 5:25,31,32 (NLT)

 

Photos taken by Bob Karraker