Oh, the British and their CRAZY HATS!

Today was the big day! Kate and William are finally married.

I don't know about you, but I wanted to make sure that I caught this big historic event. After all, I want to be able to tell my children one day that I saw Princess Kate and Prince William get married just like my parents talk about the day that Lady Di and Prince Charles got married or some other big event happened. I did not get up at 5 a.m. to watch it, but I did TiVo it. :)

I have to say, I am quite surprised at my reaction. I think most people in my immediate family, including myself, would have thought that I would get all wrapped up in this romance. After all, I was the one in the street car 6th through basically 10th grade was grinning from to ear to ear as I was reading a romantic section from my much beloved romantic teen fiction.

The truth is, I came home and turned on the recording and for several hours tried to get excited and swept up in this fairy tale - but I didn't. It seemed like a facade - not the real thing at all.

Don't get me wrong, I thought Kate's dress was beautiful. STUNNING. She was breath-taking.

The main thing that kept me watching were definitely the hats. Have you ever seen such head accessories in your life? Wow, I finally understand what my dad means when he says, "Oh, the British and their hats!" :0)

On the whole, though, I came away quite saddened. There was a sanctuary filled with 1900 people stumbling along as they were trying to sing beautifully rich lyrics, but their hearts were left completely unmoved by the magnitude of their meaning. The lyrics are filled with words of praise to God, but if felts as if the words were being lost as soon as they escaped the lips of the mouths by which they were being uttered.

I listened to the words of the bishops and did not find flaw in the theology of them, but I did not find them compelling to worship either. Rooms and sanctuaries can be decorated and elegant to the nth degree, but unless the ceremony turns our complete focus to Christ as the center - there will always be a big void. The true beauty of a wedding is when the Gospel is at its center. The evidence of His love and grace shines brightly through the very vulnerability that a believing bride and groom feel as they enter into this sacred covenant on their wedding day. These two people will change in the coming years - no doubt. Who is to say that they will not grow apart and decide that they are just not "right" for one another anymore?

There is no guarantee, but when Christ is at the center of that marriage, then reconciliation, forgiveness, sacrificial love and the power of the love of God is on their side, which conquers all obstacles. It is His power that is made evident and perfect in our weakness that is at the same time mind boggling as well as breath-takingly beautiful.

I've always loved weddings. I love the "magical" aspect about them. Like many if not most girls, I've always had the desire to be a princess and be absolutely beautiful and swept off my feet by my handsome groom. The day would be beautiful and perfect.

That day came for me. And no, it was not as I expected it to be, it is far more meaningful than anything I could of imagined. It has taken me a good amount of time to come to grips with my own vulnerability in this situation, but as I sit back almost a year and half later, I would not describe the life as a wife as "magical" because as a wife I am still living life, everyday life, which has its ups and downs. Instead, the word that comes to mind is "grace". Here we are, two individuals with our own personalities and desires partnering in this thing called "life". And God, in His amazing grace and abounding love, breaks the wills of these two people as they attack life together. Love grows despite the struggles, putting aside our own selves, as we seek to emulate Christ and in so doing learn to truly love.

Now, to me, that is a truly beautiful picture and something that I cannot get enough of.