Evolving For Unveiling

The day I married my love was one of the happiest days of my life. We had been texting the night before and I remember ending our conversation with the words… ‘Marry you tomorrow,” to which he replied, “Marry you tomorrow.” I woke up feeling like I was floating on cloud nine. Seriously, nothing could bring me down that morning. I had planned everything about how the day would go since the day Ceaser got down on one knee, one year and a week prior, yet now that the day had arrived, I didn’t care about any of it, I just wanted to get to him.

As we ladies prepared for the ceremony there was such a peaceful calm over all of us. I can’t remember if we had any music playing, but I do remember everyone laughing as I utterly refused my makeup artist’s attempt to ‘poke’ my eyes with eyeliner. Well, almost nothing could bring me down that morning. As my beautiful matron carried my train and led me from the lodge room to the car, we passed through the reception area where two gentlemen who were being attended to, said in unison, “God bless this union.” I smiled and my matron thanked them. It felt quite surreal. I wish I had slowed down to take mental pictures of everything. I was so happy to see how beautifully yet simply the cars were decorated. I could see hints of my personality and Ceaser’s too. On the drive over, sitting next to my mother, my hand tightly in hers, I savoured the moments as her big baby, moments that were dwindling. When we arrived at the church we sat in the car for what seemed like an hour but was just a few minutes, waiting for the ceremony to begin because yes, I was early for my wedding. As we waited, my mother refused to let go of my hand. She fixed my veil and told me I was beautiful. We both said, “I love you,” and promised not to cry. She broke that promise.

When it was time, my matron came to the car to get me, my brother in tow. He looked strappingly handsome in his black suit, ready to fulfil his role of walking me down the aisle with my mother. We waited in the foyer for our song to start playing and as we did, an indescribable joy filled my entire body. I don’t know how best to explain it other than that every part of my being was at peace with my decision. I was walking towards a man who had become my best friend. I didn’t know then, but my Father knew, that this man standing at the end of the aisle waiting for me would turn out to be the one who would mine out the best of me, the me that I didn’t even know was there. I didn’t know, but My Father knew. My Father knew that as Ceaser lifted my veil that morning, he would be the one to continue to unveil me over the years. I didn’t know then but my Father knew, that through this union, He would call the both of us to evolve in ways we could have never dreamed. I didn’t know then, but my Father knew, that as we said I do, He was unveiling us both… Me to Ceaser, Ceaser to me and us to the world.

The entire universe is standing on tiptoe, yearning to see the unveiling of God’s glorious sons and daughters! ~ Romans 8:19 (TPT)

Let us be glad and rejoice, and let us give honour to Him. For the time has come for the wedding feast of the Lamb, and His bride has prepared herself. She has been given the finest of pure white linen to wear. ~ Revelation 19:7-9 (NLT)

Have you ever thought about the marriage feast that will happen between the Church and Christ? You may be a guy and you’re mouthing a definite no, as you read this. I sometimes let my mind wander and daydream about how it will be on that day, reminded how so many things in the natural mirror the spiritual, the marriage ceremony being an example. Between the preparation room to the altar, there is an aisle, and as we walk down that aisle, there are things we need to be carrying with us if we are to succeed once we get to the altar. I had forgotten all about those two gentlemen at the reception area back at the lodge on my Wedding Day. They boldly spoke a blessing over our union, having no idea if we had done the groundwork required for our marriage to succeed. I’m not sure why they came to my mind recently but when they did, it got me musing about that “groundwork.” For me it was, and continues to be, getting to know myself, my purpose and my God. My marriage preparation entailed going through pre-marital counselling and having some honest and courageous conversations before the “I do’s.” It also called for us to stay prayerful knowing full well that our adversary, the devil, was not at all pleased about the bold step Ceaser and I were about to take together.

I say all this to remind you that we are all on a journey of evolution, preparing for the day we will see Him with unveiled faces. As His bride, part of His Church, what are some things we should be doing in preparation for this wedding feast? While there may be many things we ought to be doing as we continue to prepare and evolve, I selected four things to highlight to you today. I hope they will get you daydreaming about how you will look when you finally get to Him.

Know thy enemy

I have heard it said that the devil hates marriage. It’s no surprise that he does seeing that marriage is a picture of the relationship Christ has with His Church. In the same way, he attempts to cause confusion around marriage ceremonies here on earth, the devil is on a lifelong mission to bring separation between Christ and His bride the Church. He has two strategies he uses to accomplish this, the first being the accusation of the saints, and the second being the distraction of the saints. He accuses each one of us of not being as evolved as we think we are, always bringing up our past and using it to try to convince us that we are not clothed in the righteousness of God, ready to walk down the aisle. If that doesn’t work, then he resorts to trying to distract us along the way to our Jesus, even going as far as trying to get us to stop moving forward altogether. We can’t go through life pretending this enemy isn’t prowling around like a lion. We also can’t pretend we don’t know that he is an already defeated foe. Acting on this knowledge means staying vigilant, ever alert to these schemes that have the potential to keep us from getting to the lover of our souls.

Get wisdom

I like to think of wisdom as the most attentive and graceful matron. I had a wonderful wedding matron, and to this day she holds a very special place in my heart. Any bride will tell you that selecting the right matron is essential for the body of Christ and the sanity of the said bride, as it were. Without the right matron, no bride is ever truly prepared for her walk down the aisle. In the same way, without wisdom, the bride of Christ is not fully prepared for her wedding feast. As members of that Body, we must make the accumulation of wisdom paramount in our walk. The Book of Ephesians reminds us of this when it says, “So be very careful how you live, not being like those with no understanding, but live honourably with true wisdom, for we are living in evil times. Take full advantage of every day as you spend your life for His purposes.” In what ways have you prioritised getting wisdom in your walk with the Lord? What people have you surrounded yourself with? Do they bring wisdom to your table? Our Father wants us to ask and seek Him for wisdom, so that may very well be the perfect place to start.

Don’t go without the Holy Spirit

My biological father had not been in the picture of my life for many years before my wedding. During preparations for my big day, there was immense pressure from my family for me to seek him out and request that he perform his duty of giving me away, despite the lack of a genuine father-daughter relationship. I fought that pressure with every fibre of my being. How could one give away what he never cherished in the first place? No, that honour belonged to another. Unfortunately at the time, my relationship with my stepfather, the only father I truly have ever known, was strained because I decided to pursue a career in Christian Education and subsequently full-time ministry. Due to circumstances beyond our control, my uncle, a close father figure, was also unable to take on this role, so when the time came for me to notify the church who would be giving me away to be married, it was ever so clear that this honour belonged to only one person all along. My mother, accompanied by my brother, the other significant male in my life, walked me to my love that day. If given the chance, I wouldn’t change that for the world. I share this to give you a visual picture of the importance of having the appropriate person walk you down the aisle to Jesus. You see, the only person who has been with you since you answered salvation’s call, the only person who has taught you how to live and breathe and have your being, the only person who is worthy of the honour of helping you walk that last leg to see your Beloved face to face, is the person of the Holy Spirit. He alone is the one you can count on to get you across the finish line so don’t do life without Him.

See yourself correctly

I’ve always struggled with body image issues. This is probably a whole other blog for a different day. Despite my usual self-conscious disposition, I felt utterly beautiful on my Wedding Day. Over the years Ceaser has passionately showered me with words of affirmation about my physical appearance and I’ll admit, after almost twelve years as his bride, it is finally sinking in. While negative body image may not be an issue for you, I believe all of us, at one point or another, struggle to see ourselves the way Jesus sees us… blameless, spotless, clothed in white, having no wrinkle or blemish. He is passionate about our physical appearance and well-being, so much so that He came, and died for us to be saved, to be cleaned, washed and clothed into His righteousness. If we are to walk down the aisle as He wants us to, head held high, fully aware of His unconditional love for us, then we have to see ourselves correctly. Stop calling yourself a sinner. Stop speaking down to yourself. Let His words of affirmation about you sink into the rough exterior you have developed over the years.

I am reminded of the song, ‘I Can Only Imagine,’ by Mercy Me. What do you imagine about the day you will see Him face to face? If you’ve never thought about it before, I hope this helps you get thinking. We are usually more likely to be committed to preparing for that which we have visualised. So, as you prepare, do so knowing fully the strategies and tactics of our enemy. Get all the wisdom you can to help you avoid the devil’s traps and navigate your life’s journey to the altar. Don’t forget to do life with the Holy Spirit. I believe that as you do, He will remind you who you truly are and as such, you will begin to see yourself more correctly.