My sister is a bridesmaid in her close childhood friend’s wedding. At the time of writing, it’s currently wedding week – a culmination of months of preparation and celebratory rituals that lead up to the big day. As my sister can confirm, although all of the arrangements have been exhausting, it’s all worth it for the joy that comes from watching someone you love take the next step in life’s journey. When the bride walks down the aisle, all eyes on her, everyone marveling at her beauty, her garments, and her countenance, the stress of the preceding days just don’t show. She weds her groom in a glowing ceremony and then they’re off to spend eternity together.
On average, in the United States, a wedding requires 6-12 months of planning – although I think I threw mine together in 3 months – and the bride will tell you it’s one of the most stressful processes to go through. Church, as the bride of Christ, how much preparation time have you given yourself before you present yourself to your Groom? Furthermore, do you realize how precious you are to God? In Genesis 2:21-22, we see that God puts Adam to sleep, opens his side, takes out a rib – and hear this PG – God uses the rib to build a woman. Do you get that? God BUILT you. Why is that significant verbiage? If you recall Jesus’ words to His disciple Peter thousands of years later, “upon this rock I will build My church.” If the church is the bride of Christ, you are a part of the bride God is building. As Christ hung on His cross, already dead, a soldier pierced his side – right where his ribs were – and blood and water gushed out. So, in the same spot from where God built woman out of the first Adam, blood and water flowed out of the last Adam. Blood and water, reminiscent of the fluids that flow out of a woman when giving birth. The church was born out of the side of Christ on the cross.
It's not uncommon for a bride to change shoes throughout her wedding. In her case it might be to be more comfortable while dancing but Bride of Christ, your shoes also must change depending on what you’re doing. Sometimes you have to change your shoes to do your work. Remember Rebekah? The first thing that caught the eye of the servant that went to look for a suitable bride was her beauty. In modern times she might’ve been wearing high heels. However, as soon as the servant asked for a drink of water, she gets right to work, watering him as well as his camels. She kicks off her pretty shoes and dons the pair that will facilitate her work. As this rugged bride carried the gallons of water necessary to water the thirsty camels, we’re reminded that we are also called to carry water – the water being the Word of God. The work is not easy, the Word is not light, and sometimes you have to carry the same load over and over again to thirsty camels who store up the Word but don’t pour it out. Rebekah was tireless in her ministry, and she was prepared to go meet her bridegroom Isaac. The Bible says that as she approached Isaac from afar, she fell off her camel.
When you fall off your camel you get rid of the things that burden you as you go to the groom. (Check out our blog post on "falling off your camel": https://www.preachergirltv.com/post/falloffyourcamel)
So PG, remember today that God built you. He didn’t create you to be delicate, He created you to be His rugged bride, capable of doing so much for His Kingdom, changing shoes to fit the roles that life assigns to us, and carrying His Word.