I Am A Bride!
Have you ever been to a wedding? I would guess that most of you have been to at least one. Have you ever noticed how that all weddings are a little different? Though each wedding accomplishes the same thing, each one is unique. Some are elaborate church weddings where the wedding party is dressed to kill and the auditorium is full. Some are home weddings with only the bride and groom present and no expensive dresses or suits are found. I have read of weddings being held on roller coasters. I have even read of weddings being performed while sky-diving and scuba diving.
Amazingly with so much variety and uniqueness, there is yet one constant within a traditional wedding; there is ALWAYS a bride. Could you imagine a wedding with no bride? And yet, while every wedding has a bride, every bride is different. Brides come in all shapes and sizes. Some are skinny and short while others are tall and stocky. Some are red heads, while others are blonds, brunettes, or various shades of color. No two brides will have the same hair style. Some will be up while some will be down. Some will be twirled and twisted while some will be straight. As to the way a bride dresses, some will choose a traditional wedding dress while others will choose a theme dress. Some will be wearing a regular Sunday dress while others will be dressed in swim attire.
Just as each bride is unique in each wedding, so are we Christians. The Bible paints a picture of Christians as being the "Bride of Christ". As such each believer is married to Christ as a bride is to her groom. Just as each earthly wedding accomplishes the same task while each bride looks and acts differently from others, so it is with we Christians. Though each Christian is married to Christ through salvation, this does not mean that every Christian will look and act exactly the same. Some Christians are outgoing while others are introverts. Some Christians can easily and quickly speak to an audience while others become tongue tied. Some Christians like one style of music while others like another style. Some Christians dress in their Sunday best for church while others dress in casual attire. Some Christians have short well kept hair while others have long unkept hair. Some Christians sport a beard while others are clean shaven.
Do you understand what I am trying to say? Though all Christians are a Bride of Christ, not all Christians look and act alike. Does this mean that one is closer to God than the others? Not at all. Remember, God looks at the inward man to determine how close the marriage relationship is. Just like there is a WIDE variety of styles of earthly brides, so there is a wide variety of styles of the Bride of Christ. Just be sure that you are a Bride of Christ by means of biblical salvation. Be sure that as Jesus explained to Nicodemus in John 3:3 that you have been "Born Again". Once you are sure of this, look in amazement at how varied the Bride of Christ is and rejoice that God has chose YOU to be His bride!