This past weekend I had the opportunity to conduct a wedding ceremony in the rain. In a dozen years of marrying people, this was my first rainy wedding. To intensify the situation, the ceremony was an outdoor, garden wedding. We were scheduled to start at 4pm and somewhere around 3:15 the sky grew dark, the thunder rolled, the lightning flashed and the rain fell down - and it came down in buckets! While the bride scurried to the safety of the front porch, the groom and attendants and all the entourage that constitutes a wedding ceremony began moving flowers and chairs and all the necessities that a make a wedding so beautiful. Even the harpist could be seen dragging her instrument through puddles to the porch. It was certainly a sight to behold!
Once everyone was situated on the porch and the appointed time arrived, we began the service. I couldn't help but think as I welcomed the people, that a rainy wedding doesn't of necessity make for a stormy marriage. In fact, life has a way of throwing curve balls and you have to be able to roll with them in order to succeed. I've been in wedding ceremonies before where the slightest little ripple in the plan absolutely caused the bride to melt down. Not so with the bride of the rainy wedding. I've also been in wedding ceremonies where the groom was so jittery he couldn't hear himself think for the rattling of his knees. Not so with the rainy wedding groom.
When a couple is centered on Jesus and focused on his purpose for their lives, they have the uncanny ability to keep in perspective everything that life throws at them. In the grand scheme of things a rainy wedding service isn't going to be the end of the world. If you have each other and you're walking in obedience to God's plan for your life, so what if it rains! For that matter, if a couple is walking in obedience, so what if life throws curve ball after curve ball? Ultimately, life is kept in perspective when we focus on Christ and He enables us to overcome by not sweating the small stuff and properly handling the big stuff. I firmly believe that rainy weddings are just a part of life, but stormy marriages are NOT!
Thanks Shane and Amy for allowing me to participate in your wedding and for a great, though wet wedding experience!
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