beautiful:: part three.

Have you ever thought about what makes a bride so stunning on her wedding day? Sure, she may be buried underneath an extraordinary amount of makeup and hair product. But beyond that and, in some cases, despite that, there is a sparkle in her eye that could not be contrived. A bride can embody beauty for us not because of the thousands of dollars of lace and silk that drape her, nor because of the hundreds of people whose eyes are glued to her.  She can teach us what it is to be beautiful despite the external circumstances, for even the homeliest woman will shine on her wedding day if she feels loved.

We’ve all heard the expression “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”.  I would argue that as a result, beauty is also in the eye of the beheld. 

         

The bride offers such a relatable example because all of us have observed many a-belle-in-white say “I do”.  And yet, just as sure as the glimmer in her eye, is the guarantee that it cannot last.  For no matter how enduring a marriage itself may prove to be, every groom will inevitably fail to fulfill his vows, and every bride will reach the revelation that “happily-ever-after” is nothing more than Walt Disney’s three-letter lie.  There is One, though, whose delight in us never falters, whose love never fails.  Mary, her story recorded in the gospels, knew of this Man.  She came to Him, offering all her worth- or lack thereof, in everyone else’s estimation- and Jesus called it “a beautiful thing”.  As she walked down her proverbial aisle, however, there was no adoration to be found in the audience.  The Pharisees looked on in disgust at the “sinner” daring to approach Jesus, but I believe she was blind to the mockers, deaf to the scorners-- she was overcome with and consumed by the love she saw in the eyes of her Lord.  Proof, once again, that every bride can be gorgeous if she is loved.

        

Besides the bride, there exists another portrayal of beauty within a wedding that more accurately depicts the transforming love of our Savior; though one we perhaps don’t think to look upon while the Wedding March plays. No, I’m not talking about the groom.  Or even the adorable, distracted flower girl.  I’m talking about the Father of the Bride.  Because while the groom adores who his bride may or may not truly be, her father accepts her for who she is. The groom no doubt loves her, but much of who she is remains a mystery for him to unfold over the ensuing months and years. Her father, however, has seen her through sleepless nights and countless diapers; through worrisome trips to the doctor’s and inconsolable, broken hearts; through “I hate you’s” she didn’t mean and some that perhaps she did.  Her father has seen her best and worst and though his hope may have wavered, his love never did.  He knows the groom has no clue what estrogenic madhouse he’s in for, and yet even the most honorable suitor could never “deserve” his baby girl.  Watch a Father of the Bride, and you will witness a man in beautiful, contented agony.

Our Heavenly Father watches us in grieved affection as well, though for a different reason.  His sadness is stirred upon witnessing our attempts to find value in the world instead of looking to Him.  God is the Ultimate Beholder, the Author and Source of all beauty.  His love is unfathomably deeper than any earthly dad’s, and altogether undeserved.  When we set our eyes upon this Divine Love, our desire to emulate the world’s beauty will begin to diminish and we will be fulfilled by a honest-to-goodness, radiant, and lasting loveliness. For true beauty exists is in the eye- or perhaps, more appropriately- the heart of those beheld by their Maker.

“Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us” Psalm 90:17