Flowers of Love

     My sister just got married a few weeks ago, and I was honored to be her bridesmaid, to stand by her side on her special day.  I also was asked to make the floral bouquets.  I made a red rose bouquet for her, and a calla lily bouquet for myself.

     I looked at the pictures of the floral bouquets of that day.  I made them using different stems of flowers and tied them together with  long ribbons.  All the flowers bloomed at the same time and they withered together at the end.  Don’t you think marriage is like a bouquet?  Somehow a couple meets each other, and their relationship grows together like the budding and blooming of the flowers.  Later on, marriage will bind them together to form unity; just like the ribbon on the bouquet.  The marriage will also have an end:  one will leave their partner due to sickness or some kind of accident.  Then just like the flowers, the marriage will die.

     Marriage doesn’t automatically mean happiness; there will be days the couple will feel joy together but there also will be a day they will feel frustrated with each other.  During the difficulties, will you remember the wedding vows to your spouse?  That day on which you said to your spouse, “I do”, you also said, “I do” to God.  God is the witness in your marriage and He is willing to help and strengthen your marriage as long as you ask Him.

     Would you like to renew your wedding vows?

    Do you, _____________, take this woman/man, _______________, to be your wife/husband, according to God’s holy decree; do you promise to be to him/her a loving and loyal husband/wife, to cherish and keep her/him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, to be faithful only to him/her as long as you both shall live?

     “I do.”

 

Love is patient

Hatred stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs that others do.  Proverbs 10:12

Love is kind

Instead, be kind and merciful, and forgive others, just as God forgave you because of Christ.  Ephesians 4:32

Love isn't jealous

But don't be conceited or make others jealous by claiming to be better than they are.  Galatians 5:26

Love isn't boastful or proud

Too much pride causes trouble.  Be sensible and take advice.  Proverbs 13:10

Love isn't selfish

We should think about others and not about ourselves.  1 Corinthians 10:24

Love doesn't keep a record of others' wrongs
If you forgive others for the wrongs they do to you, your Father in heaven will forgive you.  Matthew 6:14

Love is caring for others
Each of you should look not only to your own interests; but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:4