The wedding day. This, usually, is the climax of relationships between a single man and a single woman. Even if many single individuals nowadays try to make it seem that they’re cool without any partner or to not really depend on someone of the opposite sex, I believe that deep in the hearts of most single persons is the longing to settle down and find someone to share their whole life with permanently.
Serious preparations are usually made for the wedding day and this is something I do not minimize because even in our wedding, we broke a leg and did the best we could under our circumstances to make it special, meaningful and memorable. But, a balance must me made between preparing for the wedding and the whole married life as well.
It would be unrealistic and dangerous to come into a marriage with too much idealism and, the other extreme, too much skepticism. Most of the time, the former is what most couples have in mind when entering marriage.
My wife and I came across a song that challenges married couples who have experienced the reality of marriage – that both individuals are sinful, depraved individuals, selfish to the core, adding in the huge difference in make up between a man and a woman. That’s why included in the vow in marriage is the statement “for better, or fro worse”. Many times, marriage is embraced only for the first part of that vow.
This song below, reminds us that the promise made by couples during the wedding is inclusive of the storm, the hardships – and as described in the song, the minefields. Couples are called to walk with their partner through the difficult times. When one partner loses his or her way, ends all faith or looses love’s chains, the other is called and reminded to walk with and stay beside the other.
This sounds so harsh and idealistic, especially for those who have experienced great hurt, pain and trials in marriage. But the one thing we must not forget that, in each of us, is no ability or capability to do this. It is only through Christ in us that we will be able to do this. We must remember, that apart from God, we can do nothing.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
Dancing in the Minefields by Andrew Peterson
Verse 1:
I was nineteen, you were twenty-one
The year we got engaged
Everyone said we were much too young
But we did it anyway
We bought our rings for forty each
From a pawn shop down the road
We made our vows and took the leap
Now fifteen years ago
Chorus:
We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for
Verse 2:
“I do” are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I’ve heard
Is a good place to begin
‘Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it’s an easy price
For the life that we have found
Chorus:
And we’re dancing in the minefields
We’re sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that’s what the promise is for
Bridge:
So when I lose my way, find me
When I loose love’s chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me
‘Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there’s nothing left to fear
So I’ll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear
‘Cause he promised not to leave us
And His promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you
