Looking Back Nine Years Ago To The Wedding of The Duke And Duchess of Cambridge
Yesterday marked the 9th wedding anniversary of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I remember that day quite well because the night before I, and many other Americans and those from the Commonwealth slept outside of Buckingham Palace to watch the members of the British Royal Family head to Westminster Abbey for the wedding.
Me on April 29, 2011, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding day in London. By this time I was exhausted from having slept outside the night before.
Everyone who is married can tell you it’s not easy. It’s joyful and fulfilling but there are many rocky moments. And for those who have only stayed at the dating or engagement stage, we only have a taste. Relationships can be complicated. And for those who are divorced, they can attest to the challenges that marriage brings. And I’m sure the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge can attest that these 9 years later, they have had their rocky moments, moments that we the public have seen played out in the media.
For the month of May, SEELE will be focusing on the question: "What is God's Purpose for Marriage?" There is only a 50% success rate of marriages, and divorces are more common than ever.
The institution of marriage is not man-made but rather God-made, and He made it with a purpose: ONE reason being so that a marriage between a man and woman would mirror Jesus' (the groom) love for the church (the bride). And TWO, so that a couple would be fruitful and multiply the earth, raising up Godly progeny.
Everything that God creates, the devil schemes to destroy- marriages included. Two people must respectfully understand who they are in Jesus before marriage and they must understand God's purposes for it. It takes a lot of work, attention, Godly wisdom, and charter of those involved to make a marriage work. But with God at the helm, an understanding of why God created marriage, both people having been respectfully baptized by water and Spirit, humility, good communication, tolerance, and the decision that divorce is never an option, a couple can make it.
During the homily of the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Bishop of London, Richard Chartres stated:
“Faithful and committed relationships, offer a door into the mystery of spiritual life, in which we discover this: the more we give of self, the richer we become in should, the more we go beyond ourselves in love, the more we become our true selves and spiritual beauty is more fully revealed.
In marriage we are seeking to bring one another into fuller life. It is of course very hard to ween ourselves away from self-centeredness. People can dream of doing such a thing. But that the hope should be fulfilled, it is necessary that a solemn decision is made, that whatever the difficulties, we are committed to the way of generous love.
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This month, 5 couples will share what makes a good marriage. And, throughout the month, we'll be diving into the Bible, answering the question: 'What is God's Purpose for Marriage?'
