The Marriage Box

One of the most beautiful things about the event of a wedding, and this wedding time of year in general, is that it reminds those of us who are married of our own weddings.

 One of the most indelible images I have from our wedding has nothing to do with the ceremony or reception, but rather, with a gift that was given to us by some dear family friends of my in-laws, in Athens, GA.  This gift was so meaningful to me not only because of what it represents but because I am reminded of what it represents every day as it sits atop my dresser.

I think the best wedding gifts are those that are both practical and meaningful.  This gift is an antique box, with a beautiful in-laid wood pattern.  The inside was actually lined by the giver with the most charming wallpaper that was actually from the kitchen of this long-time-married couple's first home.  How unbelievably thoughtful is that?

I use this box every day to hold some of my most important documents, meaningful cards, and treasured mementos.  At the same time, this practical box also places before me the mysteriously lovely picture of marriage.  It inherently challenges me to fill the vessel of my marriage with all the good things that I desire for it to be filled with--love, sacrifice, service, laughter, holiness, abundance, comfort, joy.

 The myth that marriage from its start is automatically a completely filled box of all the good and perfect things you have always desired is a myth that threatens to disenchant and ultimately destroy this generation and those to come from fully experiencing what marriage in Christ actually looks like.  Marriage in Christ truly starts as an empty box, one which must be filled over time by the continued nurturing and struggle and fierce love that seeks to give of itself completely to another.