The bride's eyes are on a group of men waiting outside the church doors... they are filthy, their eyes are hungry... they make lewd gestures at her, calling her names she doesn't know.
She drops her bouquet, tosses off her veil... and walks into their arms.
.....................................
What does it mean to fall in love with God? As a child we sing of the love of Jesus for us, and how much we love Him. As an adult we talk of "falling in love with Him." Sometimes this feels like an impossibility. How does one fall in love with an invisible groom?
I started wondering if our relationship to Christ is similar to the "arranged" marriage of olden days. A groom was hand-picked by the parents of the bride. A lucky bride would have parents who knew her well, and loved her enough to pick someone who love their daughter and take care of her.....
What if the bride left the groom at the altar and took off with some unbathed men riding a pack of Harleys (no offense to the motorcycle enthusiasts)?
Sometimes I feel like the Harley bride... I leave my Jesus at the altar and seek out stone idols, figuring He will be waiting when I come back. It is hard to maintain loyalty to the unseen Groom, until one stops and starts to remember...
We all cry (ok, many girls cry and a select few, very strong men cry) at scenes in movies where the man sacrifices for his love. Sometimes he dies.... sometimes he will even sacrifice being with his lover because his sacrifice will save her or something important to her.
Christ died for me because He loved me. Do I truly understand that? No one else on earth has died for me... but Jesus knew me before the foundations of the world, and He left heaven to come and face death, that I might live eternally with Him in perfect peace and love. This is so monstrous, so beautiful... I can't comprehend it.
Back to the invisible factor... we are sensual beings. We taste, smell, see, hear, and touch. We hug the ones we love and feel loved when we receive physical affection. I always wished that I could hug Jesus. What I have forgotten is that even though touch and sight is important, it is not imperative.
Ultimately, you don't fall in love for physical attributes.
When someone asks you why you love someone, you don't say, "He (she) is cute and gives hearty hugs." If that is all you love about someone, your love will be shallow and it will struggle when troubles come. But, if your love is firmly based in the other's character and spiritual attributes, your love will endure.
This is wonderful, because with Scripture, we know the attributes of God, and we can fall in love with His character... a character that is infinite, and we can fall ever deeper in with every passing hour.
This sounds simple, but true love requires work... and God is no exception. He has sacrificed everything for me, and I will forever fall into His love.
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