Being Engaged

When I was a little girl there were many times that if you had asked me what I was thinking about, imagining and planning I would have replied, “My wedding”. Yes, I had it all planned out. The dress design, the colors, the flowers, the ring, even the prince charming. I had dreams and visions of what it was all going to look like and feel like and smell like. I invested countless hours in this event that, truth be told, wasn’t even guaranteed to happen.

But, it did happen. And, it wasn’t anything like I had planned and imagined. I met my prince charming and after first impressions disliked him. But, God has a great sense of humor and it didn’t take long for Him to turn my heart around. In February of 1999 Jason proposed. It was beautiful and well planned. He met me with a beautiful bouquet of roses. He took me to our favorite restaurant, he took me to the place where he had initially asked me to date him, it was beautiful and he even cleaned his car! He had hand made a wooden box and had a plaque engraved in it that said, “Trisha Kristine, I love you so much. Will you marry me?” While he was on one knee, holding a beautiful ring handed down through the generations of his family, I said yes.

He had been planning it for weeks. He had been wooing my heart for even longer. He had learned to see and love the deepest part of me. He embraced the process of loving me and the engagement became a beautiful culmination to the story of our courtship. Of course once we were engaged the chaos of planning a wedding ensued. We only had 3 short months before the wedding. There was so much to do, so little time. My focus and all consuming thoughts were now on wedding plans. Where, when, how…. The dress, the flowers, the bridesmaids, the venue…. And the lists went on and on.  But being engaged was one of the most joyous feelings I had ever experienced up to that point in my life. I was engaged!!! I belonged to someone! Someone wanted me! Someone loved me! I was going to have a wedding! I was engaged!

Following is a quote from the book Love Does by Bob Goff.

“… being engaged isn’t just an event that happens when a guy gets on one knee and puts a ring on his true love’s finger. Being engaged is a way of doing life, a way of living and loving. It’s about going to extremes and expressing the bright hope that life offers us, a  hope that makes us brave and expels darkness with light. That’s what I want my life to be about – full of abandon, whimsy, and in love. I want to be engaged to life and with life. “

“I enjoy those parts of the Bible where Jesus talks about how much He loves His bride. It makes me wonder if the trees and mountains and rivers are things He planned in advance, knowing they would wow us. I wonder if God returned over and over to this world He placed us in thinking what He had created was good, but it could be even better, even grander. I wonder if He thought each foggy morning, each soft rain, each field of wild flowers would be a quiet and audacious way to demonstrate His tremendous love for us.”

John 14:15 says – “If you love me, keep my commands.”

We have all heard it and maybe even said the words to our own children. “You show your love for me by being obedient.”

Obedience is more than just avoiding sin. We often grow comfortable with the idea that we are good enough Christians, good enough children because we avoid sin. We don’t do really bad things that would get us into trouble. That’s obedience right? Yes, but obedience that shows love is far more than that. Obedience requires being engaged.

Matthew 25:1-13 – “At the time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and fiver were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out’. ‘No’, they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet and the door was shut. Later the others also came, ‘Sir! Sir! Open the door for us! ‘ But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you.’ Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” Or in other words, “I tell you, be engaged!!!”

We are preparing for a wedding. Our groom is the King of Kings and he has prepared the greatest wedding imaginable. He wants you! You belong to him! He knows you and loves you! You are engaged and you are going to have a wedding! Our part in this? Our part is to be engaged.

When we think of being engaged, we often try to differentiate it out into two words with two separate meanings. 1. Getting engaged as in “He proposed. I said yes. We are  now engaged.” And 2. Being engaged, as in – being engaged in life, being active in the process, pursuing the vision etc.

For tonight imagine with me that it is one word with one meaning. To be engaged (betrothed) is to be engaged (active). We are engaged to be the bride of the Prince of Heaven but in order to become that lovely bride we must engage ourselves with him. We must participate in His plan. We must be proactive in our obedience. We must not just sit around waiting for the wedding march. We must not just sit there and protect ourselves and our “beautiful dresses” from getting stained. We must not let the excitement of the betrothal fade away as the oil in the lamps. We must fan the flame, watch the levels of our oil and move and do and be involved. We must plan with Him, engage in His vision.  We must not just sit and wait until the day of the party. We all have a part in preparing for that day. What is your part? How is He calling you to participate? How are you going to be engaged in the most honored engagement of all time and eternity?