February 1, 2007

Last Saturday I attended our eldest granddaughter's wedding shower. The wedding plans have been completed, preparations are in process. In about six weeks, the beautiful bride will be escorted down the aisle in the church sanctuary by her nervous dad for their final walk together before he "gives away" his first-born child.

I'm reminded of the wedding preparations in process for The Bride of Christ. I'm taken back to the time in my life when I first came into knowledge that I am the bride of Christ.

In the early 1970's I was a young preacher's wife and a mother, a born-again believer who had been an active member of a church since I was a child. I had even "answered a call" to "special service" in my youth. But when I came into the personal knowledge that I am Christ's bride, my relationship with Him changed forever! I fell in love with Jesus in a personal way that I had never before experienced. I began to think of Jesus as my Bridegroom. I wanted to be with Him. I wanted to snuggle, cuddle, and speak love with Him.

My relationship with God also changed. I no longer looked at Father God in fear as a distant Holy Authority Figure. He became my Father---my Daddy! I was his little girl. Being blessed with a wonderful earthly daddy, I knew how to be Daddy's little girl! When my earthly daddy passed away suddenly in 1977, my Holy Daddy-Father comforted me and filled the tremendous void. Since that time He has been there for me in every life situation.

I enjoy looking through my wedding album. The photographer caught a look of misery on my daddy's face as we began the looooog walk down the aisle. But I didn't see that, because although I was holding my daddy's arm, my eyes were fixed on my handsome, anxiously awaiting, groom. I didn't see anyone but him; he was my destination!

I think about The Wedding. Daddy God will joyfully present the perfect Bride, covered by the atoning Blood of the Sacrificial Lamb, and adorned in pure white, to His Son, the Bridegroom---the bride's Holy Destination.

Lord, keep my eyes and heart focused on Jesus, lover of my soul, my Holy Destination.

Thurleen Bain

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