Weddings are interesting for me to experience. I love celebrating people that I love making commitments to another person, knowing that they have the capacity to make each other so happy. Getting to go to sealings is even better, because those commitments turn into covenants, and those covenants are essential for exaltation. I love getting to witness those moments. I love being able to support the people that I love as they make those commitments and covenants.
But, it also reminds me that, unless something drastic happens and the Lord sends me a miracle in the form of one special man (which, the realist in me will remind me and everyone else who tells me it's possible that while of course it isn't impossible, it's highly unlikely. Like, probs not gonna happen), I don't get to experience that commitment, that relationship, that support. Of course, there are downsides and upsides to being single, but that's not the point of this post.
The point is, marriage is pretty cool. Eternal marriage is even cooler. I totally support it. I had the opportunity to go to a good friend's wedding this weekend - and by wedding, I mean ALL THE THINGS. Wedding ceremony, luncheon, sealing, reception - even a bachelorette party the night before. It was exhausting, mostly because I was constantly surrounded by people I didn't know, except for, like 5 people, and we all know how much I hate situations like that. But it also was totally and completely worth it. For a couple of reasons.
One, because I love getting to go to sealings. Because the temple is the best. Also covenants. And getting to see my friend get sealed to a man who she has dated for a LONG time, and to someone I've had the chance to get to know a bit, so I know he will be a stellar husband, it made me so happy! Because THEY were happy! And their families were happy! Everyone was happy! People say Disneyland is the happiest place on earth, but I feel like the most correct statement is that sealing rooms are the happiest places on earth. And I got to be there, which made me happy.
Two, I don't get to go to every wedding I'd like to go to. Some are several states away. Some happened when I couldn't get away from my responsibilities. Some happened when I was in a selfish period, so it would have been a chore getting me to do anything that inconvenienced me. So, with the wedding being only 4 1/2 hours away, knowing about it like 10 months in advance, and having a job where I get vacation time and having plenty of time to arrange to have it off, nothing was going to stop me from being there. I've missed weddings that I now wish I hadn't, and I wasn't going to make that mistake again.
Three, I needed my friend to know how much I support her and care about her. Like, that's a big deal for me. The past few of years have involved people supporting me and helping me when, some of the time, I felt a bit like a crazy person. And, especially lately, I haven't had much of the chance to give back. So, even if I didn't get to interact with her a whole lot this weekend, I was there, and she knew I was there because she is important to me.
Four, the eternal perspective. In my Sunday School lesson today, I talked a bit about the parable of the Ten Virgins. With the whole wedding thing, it happened to stick out to me while I was preparing the lesson. The idea of being like those 5 foolish virgins and having the bridegroom say "I know you not" (or, if you look in the JST footnote, it says "ye know me not." But only in the newer edition, not the old one. Which I discovered in the middle of my lesson, while I was looking at my set which I got when I graduated high school, whereas I typically do my personal study with just a New Testament, which I recently got, so guess what, footnotes are different. Almost started hardcore panicking in my lesson because I thought I had a weird dream where I dreamed reading the JST and that it never happened in reality. Anyway, I digress...), the idea of hearing those words from my friend's mouth ripped my heart apart. The idea of someone whose friendship I cherish, who I look up to and who has been a strength to me in difficult times just being like, "You don't know me." Imagining it sounds like a literal nightmare. Thinking about it in that literal context was eye opening. If I do not properly prepare, there will come the time when I will come face to face with my Savior, and I will beg to be let in, to celebrate, to share in everyone's joy, and He will say, "You do not know me." The man who has carried me. The man who forgives me when I'm a dingus and can't seem to keep it together. The man who I love so much. I NEVER want that experience. And this weekend, getting to see my friend in the temple just reminded me of the eternal perspective. If I was willing to do what it takes to make it to her wedding, the Bridegroom's celebrations are infinitely more important for me to prepare for.
Life is hard. Like, really hard, sometimes. But if we make the hard decisions now, prepare now, choose the right now, that nightmare will never come true. Yeah, weddings remind me that I'm alone. But they also remind me of eternity and of God's plan. God doesn't intend for me to be alone. Besides, a big of singledom and a little loneliness is TOTALLY worth it, if it means I get to be welcomed by the Bridegroom. As long as I know Him and He knows me, I think everything will be worth it.
So, moral of the story is, I'm actually a giant sap who is a hopeless romantic and I love weddings. But just don't expect me to admit it in public. Or to ever truly enjoy the majority of chick flicks.
Also, the Gospel, in my opinion, is always worth it.
