Is the Stress Worth It?

I was able to participate in the celebration of nuptials for a sweet young couple this weekend. It took me back to my wedding over 25 years ago. I remember all the work involved in planning the perfect wedding, which was especially hard considering neither Pinterest, Google, or any internet existed. Yes, it was the old times according to my children. I had only been to one wedding as a kid and had zero experience planning or even seeing weddings. I would drive into town and observe the wedding rental display windows to come up with ideas. The photography consisted of standing directly in front of the camera, along with the wedding party and smiling.  My background wasn't a babbling brook or a  pastoral field of flowers. It was a church with paneling and burnt orange carpet. Let me tell you, nothing makes a wedding dress pop like burnt orange carpet. I remember the stress of trying to get everything right the night before the wedding. My mother and I scooped watermelon and sliced cheese until early in the morning. And, as always, little things became big things due to exhaustion and high emotions. But what I remember more is that the result of all the stress and worry was that I was able to marry the man God has placed in my life. Whether the flowers looked perfect or the carpet resembled a pumpkin didn't matter. We can spend so much time and energy worrying whether things will work okay, but, in the moment, it all fades when you look into the eyes of the one you love knowing you've found the one you are going to spend a lifetime loving. This world is hard, but God has promised you that it will one day be worth it all. You will one day come face-to-face with Jesus, and as you look in His eyes and see His love for you, the small time we spend on Earth will fade away. The stress and worry will be as nothing knowing that you have met the One who will love you and spend eternity showing you that love through His nail-scarred hands. 

Have a great week high-heeled warriors!