I have been to numerous weddings. Most of them I have attended as a guest. There are many more weddings I have been invited to that I could not attend. There are a few weddings, though, where I have been asked to be part of the wedding party. This last weekend was one such time. As I stood in my tuxedo trying to smile for all the pictures, I reflected on the memories that I was participating in. I mean, like it or not, whenever my friends reflect on their wedding day, there I will be. But the memories are not simply one-way.

Philippians 1:3 — I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.

It is no secret that Paul had a special affection for the people of Philippi. Their patronage of him during his stay there and their ongoing devotion to the gospel consistently give Paul joy. I simply love how Paul opens his letter to them, though. Every time I think of you, I thank my God.

I do not know if I can specifically recall all the weddings I have attended, much less all the weddings I have been invited to. Most weddings are so similar and more symbolic than they are unique. The guests stream in and each get a few seconds of the bride’s time. If they go to the reception, they may have a few minutes more with the bride and groom. As a one-time groom, I can speak to the bizarre fact that virtually nothing that happens that entire day is retained in the long-term memory of the groom. Ironically, it seems every detail is somehow retained by the bride.

I clearly recall, though, the weddings where I participated in the wedding party. Perhaps it is the extended time the wedding party is present or the presumed familiarity with the others in the party that yield a more obtainable memory. This past weekend, for example, the tuxedo-clad groomsmen threw a football around in the parking lot and we watched a relatively disappointing horse race on TV. But as I stood frozen for a variety of pictures, the verse above clung to my mind. I decided that whenever I remembered that event, I would thank my God for my good friends who are merging their lives together.

This concept may be a good general rule to abide by. Think for just a moment how sweet it would be if every time we thought of someone, we thanked God for them. It seems to me that we will learn a better appreciation of those around us if we can position them in the light of gratitude.

Tags:

This entry was posted by zac on Thursday, June 12th, 2008 at 7:48 am and is filed under Weekly Jib Jab. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.