God at the center of marriage

This past weekend, I attended a wedding of my church leader whom I have known for three years. This was the first wedding I had been to in a long time, so I was really looking forward to this event. Moreover, I am very close to my church leader, and her marriage was a constant source of excitement for me and my peers at church ever since she got engaged last winter.

Two weeks ago, my leader had given me a call on an early Saturday morning to ask if I could be the pianist for her wedding. I was dumbfounded. Usually, the weddings of our church were always played by members of the praise band who could be considered almost professional, and this was the first time a college student had been asked. When none of the usual pianists could be available the weekend of her wedding, she had called me right away to ask me the favor. I was really touched, especially since she had never actually seen me play - I had told her a couple of times I learned piano growing up and enjoyed playing it time to time. She had complete faith in me and did not show any signs of doubt as she entrusted me to play for her entire wedding, a day which could be one of the most important days of her life!

So began a crazy two weeks of learning, practicing, and rehearsing as I kept my enormous responsibility constantly in my mind. My initial nervousness about the fact that I have never played at a wedding before was eclipsed by my love for my leader and how much I wished her happiness in her marriage. I first met her husband-to-be on the day of the wedding rehearsal, and I was pleasantly surprised by his warm and friendly personality. I quickly saw how perfect they were for each other and how much they loved and respected each other. My anticipation for the wedding continued to expand.

On the day of the wedding, all I remember is being so nervous that my feet, shaking so violently, would not stay set on the pedal. I somewhat clunkily played through the precession and the opening song, and tried my best not to hit a wrong note in the bridal march (which I did too many times when I was practicing). When I was relieved of the first part of my duties, I sat down in the pews just in time to catch the marriage vows, perhaps one of the most beautiful pieces of writing I have ever heard. Both my leader and her husband had expressed their love and respect so eloquently.

What hit me the most was the purity and holiness of their words, as they committed their marriage to God and His Works and to revere each other in Christ's love. By now I was so full of joy and happiness that the nervousness had died away - the rest of the wedding I played without flaw. My leader is now a happily married woman and is enjoying herself on her wonderful honeymoon in Maui.

After witnessing such a wonderful wedding this past weekend, I realized this is the kind of marriage and relationship I want in my own life. So many couples today marry so easily and divorce so easily, breaking the hearts of their children and the relationships of so many people around them. However, a marriage honoring God, a marriage with God's love at the center lasts and hardly breaks through the toughest of times. As a college student, marriage seems like a far away and mystical event, but a marriage immersed in God's love, as I have experienced this weekend, is something to strive for.