Some friends of ours are getting married today. Actually, I don't know for sure if I have ever met the groom or not...but I'm sure he's a good guy because I have a feeling the bride knows a bad guy from a good guy.
Anyway, it got me thinking about how people say, "Meet me at the altar" when referencing marriage. Altar and alter are definitely two different words. However, when I think of them in terms of a wedding, they can kind of mean the same thing in my opinion. An altar is described as a place where some sort of sacrament or ceremony takes place. I would say that the point at which two people exchange vows to forever love, cherish, and be there for each other is also the point at which their lives forever become different.
It does not matter what the status of their relationship was up until that point. Whether or not they have kids, or live together, or are just meeting for that day, the act of making a vow before God, their family and friends, and each other, will change things in at least some way.
It may be that two people are so woven into each others lives already that the marriage only makes things legal and entitles them to insurance benefits and a name change.
It may be that two people will know each other on a whole new level, including intimacy, after that ceremony.
These days, just about anything goes, but a wedding is always cause for celebration. There is never enough love in this world, so when you're invited to encourage it you just can't help but be happy for them.
I have heard so many people say that things change for the worse after marriage. Most of this was things other guys said to my husband before we got married, or things guys say to other guys when they are getting married. I don't know why there is such a negative view on marriage, but I think things have only gotten better. Sure, things will stress you out and sometimes you wonder what in the world you got yourself into. But I had those days when I wasn't married. And marriage is not a promise of a perfect life. It's a promise that no matter how bad life gets you'll have someone there with you.
So if you're considering heading to the altar, please know that it will alter your life, but that doesn't mean in a bad way. Life just gets better.
And so, to Alyssa and Jerry, I offer this:
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon the fields.
May the light of friendship guide your paths together.
May the laughter of children grace the halls of your home.
May the joy of living for one another
trip a smile from your lips, a twinkle from your eye.
And when eternity beckons,
at the end of a life heaped high with love,
May the good Lord embrace you
with the arms that have nurtured you
the whole length of your joy-filled days.
May the gracious God hold you both
in the palm of His hands.
And, today, may the Spirit of Love
find a dwelling place in your hearts.
Amen.
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