Wedding Bells

Historically, June has always been the most popular month for weddings. That is where the term "June bride" comes from. The month of June derives its name from Juno, the Roman goddess of marriage. It was anciently thought that couples who married in June would be blessed with prosperity and happiness.  Therefore, enjoy the words of wisdom penned below by Barbara Rainey in celebration of marriages new and enduring.  



Pieces of the Pattern

BY BARBARA RAINEY

Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.
EXODUS 25:9, NIV

Back when I used to do a lot more sewing, I enjoyed looking through pattern books. It was fun to select the style I wanted and then cut out the small pieces of tissue paper that indicated what went where and how everything fit together. But that's just it—all those little shapes that represent the sleeves and the bodice and the front and the back don't mean anything unless they eventually come together to form an article of clothing. Until the parts are applied in the context of the whole, they never achieve the purpose that was intended for them by the dress designer.

Many times in marriage, all we can see are the pieces. We see the romance part. We see the conflict part. We see the housekeeping part. We see the bill-paying part. We see the parenting part. But because we spend so much of our time focusing on the individual parts of our marriage, we don't always see them in the bigger picture our Designer had in mind But the pattern is there nonetheless, and it's contained in the package of God's Word.

I want you to be encouraged that the pattern for your marriage isn't something you were responsible for creating. It's not based on feelings that can be strong today and much different tomorrow. The biblical pattern and plan for your marriage was created in the mind of almighty God, whose wisdom is unrivaled and whose love for you is beyond all bounds. If you keep putting the pieces where they belong, His pattern will start to show. His design will take its beautiful shape in the form of your marriage.