Love

1 Corinthians 13 says, "....love is the greatest of these."  Thirty-two years ago this past December 25 I married the love of my life.  Gary and I were thirty-years-old when we married.  We were not "young marrieds" by the world's standard.  But, we waited until God deemed it time for us to be married.  

Just prior to Gary asking me to marry him, I had prayed to God that He would send me the perfect mate or that He would show me how to be happy as a single person.  This particular prayer was prayed in the Prayer Garden at Glorieta Baptist Retreat Center, Glorieta, NM, in September 1976.  I was at a Single's Retreat on that weekend and had attended a conference on prayer.  One of the "assignments" from the conference was to find a quiet place on the grounds of the center and read some Bible verses.  The one particular verse that was a life-changing verse for me was John 15:16, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you....".  That was God telling me that I did not HAVE to have anyone because I already had Him.  He had chosen me to be His child.  He loved me and that was all that really mattered.  I was one of His chosen.  It was then and there, after almost thirty years of playing Christian, that I truly turned my life over to Him.  I knew that I could be happy no matter what because I had Him.  When I returned from that conference there was a letter from my Gary in the mail....and the rest of the story is that we were married the very next December 25, Christmas day, the day of the birth of my Lord and Savior.  I had to realize that I was already loved by the One Who really mattered.  Thirty-two years later I am closer to my Savior than ever and He has supplied all our needs (our family) for all these years.  The love of my life is still the love of my life and that love continues to grow.  

Yesterday I had the honor of being a part of the wedding preparations and ceremony of a precious couple in our church.  Like Gary and me, M and J are not "young marrieds".  You see, they are both in their "senior years of life".  They have "dated" for over seven years and we, the members of our church, have watched their love grow and grow.  M and J are very faithful to their Lord and His church.  They have both been married before and were very faithful spouses.  I always enjoy seeing M and J out together.  You would think they were teenagers, with sparkles in their eyes and enjoying each other so much.  After seven years, M finally asked the question and J said, "Yes!"  Yesterday, January 3, 2009, was the first day of the rest of their lives together.  The ceremony was so special, with both families taking part in it.  M and J were both nervous.  M just wanted the ceremony to be to the part where he got to kiss her and J was so afraid of messing up!!  M stood at the front of the church with his arm on J's shoulder the entire time of the ceremony, so special and so dear.  They truly love each other and they know what true love is!!  Unlike young couples, M and J were the last to leave the reception.  You see, they stayed around to make certain that we, the ladies who were doing the reception, didn't need anything and that we were ok.  True servant hearts, showing the love of the Lord they serve.  When I saw M at church this morning he still had that sparkle in his eyes and he told me that J even got up and fixed his breakfast!!  He was so proud, so in love.

Love.  That's what it's all about.  We must love in order to be loved.  We must mirror the love that our Savior has shown all of us.  God loved me, a sinner so impure, so much that He sent His only Son to die for me on that cross so long ago.  He has provided for me all my life.  He sent me the love of my life.  He loved M and J so much that He saw that their love grew and grew and He was a vital part of their marriage ceremony yesterday.  

Thank you, M and J, for being an example of God's love and for allowing me to be a part of your special day.  You will never, never know how much it has meant to me (and to Gary).  Thank you, Gary, for loving me and taking care of me and for being the spiritual lead in our home all these years.   As 1 Corinthians 13 says, love is the greatest of these.  Without love, there is nothing.  Thank you, my Lord, for giving Your love and for being the Example of love to us all.