Many funny things have happened over the years in weddings. Because weddings are formal events, we expect everything to go perfectly. Therefore, anything not perfect and according to plan seems extra funny.
On one occasion the couple were trying to light the Unity Candle. This part of the wedding ceremony is a visual of two separate lives becoming one. The mothers had officially lit the separate candles at the beginning of the ceremony, signifying their roles in bringing the bride and groom into the world.
At the appropriate time in the ceremony, the bride and groom walked up to the Unity Candle, lifted the separate pre-lit candles and, together, attempted to light the Unity Candle. But it wouldn’t light. Everyone was watching in anticipation as they struggled to get the larger candle to take the flame.
Finally, in desperation, the groom took his pre-lit candle and mashed it onto the top of the Unity Candle. Because the wax had been softened by the two pre-lit candles, it stuck! Everybody chuckled and the ceremony continued. Now that’s a story of stubborn fortitude; a determination to make this happen no matter what.
May you have the same stubborn persistence in your relationships.
Tags: determination, persistence, stubborn, wedding
Remember the movie Chariots of Fire? In it, just before the first turn in a 400-meter race, Eric Liddell was shoved off balance, and he stumbled onto the infield grass. When he looked, he saw the others pulling away. With a look of intense determination, Eric jumped to his feet, and with his back cocked and his arms flailing he rushed ahead. He was determined not only to catch up with the pack but to win. And he did!
That was a true story from real life history. And that was the kind of fervor that the apostle Paul brought to his ministry. In 1 Corinthians 9:24 he said, “Do not you know that those who run in a race all run, but [only] one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.”
You are striving for the gold! If you get pushed aside and fall behind, get back up, get determined, and go get the prize!
Tags: commitment, determination, race