That photo is the picture of a marriage that will be built on Godly principles. Will that intimate moment, so beautifully captured, guarantee that couples marriage to be successful ? No. There are no earthly guarantees. But putting Jesus at the forefront of your marriage most certainly increases the odds.
Both of my daughters are of marrying age. I have prayed for their future spouses for as long as I can remember. I pray that they marry Godly men. Men who seek Gods counsel before their own desires. Men who will love, cherish, and honor my daughters. That's a tall order. And in their Daddy's eyes? Well, he's already been quite verbal about giving and not giving his blessing. My future sons in law have an extremely hard act to follow.
Our oldest daughter bases every boy she's dated on her Dads standards. Amazingly, even with all of her sorority sisters getting married, she would rather fly solo than settle. The last "boy" she dated was precious. She moved on after only half a dozen dinner dates. She knew, as personable and handsome as he is, there was no future with him.
Not gonna lie, her sister and I really liked that one...a lot. Yet I admire the fact that she refuses to settle. She knows what she wants: a Godly marriage. A pure relationship. In her generation that is next to impossible. She's completely okay waiting on God to find her "the one". Not sure she'll find him in our tiny town. It doesn't seem to concern her in the least. Her sister and I on the other hand? We've always got our eyes open in the event she becomes too tunnel visioned. Ha!
Back to the marine. Why has this photo brought so much national attention? There is a hole in each and every one of us that can only be filled with the Holy Spirit. Most of us spend a lifetime trying to fill that void with things that are both tangible and intangible. That photo, to me, captures all that God has in store for us. The divine fulfillment of a void all of us are desperately trying to fill. The promise of two lives coming together with God at the center. True love, servitude, and obedience in its purest form. It represents the blessed hope we all desire. To be loved as beautifully as God loves us.
"If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me"-Jeremiah 29:13
