Two Brides, Two Bridegrooms

There isn't a more beautiful God-ordained union

than the marriage of a man and a woman.

From the beginning, God planned for two lives to completely entwine

with His, making a cord of three.

Genesis 2:24

"Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,

and shall cleave unto his wife:

and they shall be one flesh."

It's even more beautiful when you understand

 the earthly union is symbolic of the heavenly union.

We're told in Ephesians 5 that marriage is a picture

of our eternal salvation,

those that trust the Lord are the bride of Christ,

the Lord Jesus is the Heavenly Bridegroom.

Ephesians 5: 31-32

"For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother,

and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.

This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church."

On July 23rd I had the privilege of celebrating

 two brides
and
two bridegrooms.

Isenija has been a dear family friend for years. 

She began attending our kids Bible club years ago,

trusted Christ as her Savior,

and has been a radiant testimony for Him.

She met Shane during a Gospel outreach.

 

 The cliche,

a match made in Heaven,

is true for this lovely couple.

This beautiful bride was joined to her bridegroom

in front of many rejoicing people.

There were tears of joy in celebration knowing

the Lord brought together a couple who will bring Him much glory and honor.

They're a beautiful representation of the earthly union,

a man and woman pledging themselves together for life.

That same day,

some of us were touched by another bride and bridegroom.

A precious believer  met her Heavenly bridegroom

face to face.

 

Our dear sister in the Lord,

Rebecca Rankin,

went home to be with Him,

leaving behind her earthly bridegroom, Dustin,

two beautiful little girls, Gabi and Karis,

a large family,

and an even larger group of friends.

We grieve, but only for ourselves.

Her fight against lung cancer is over.

Her pain is over.

She will never again suffer,

never again weep.

You might be asking why I would put these two events in the same post...

why not put the wedding in one,

the funeral in another?

My heart was impressed to view these events from the Lord's heart.

We look at the first occasion as pure joy,

the second occasion as pure sorrow.

The Lord said,

"He who finds a wife finds a good thing."

But He also said,

"Precious in the sight of the death is the death of his saints."

Finding a godly earthly bridegroom is a wonderful thing,

but isn't meeting our heavenly Bridegroom better?

The love Shane showed watching Isenija walk down the aisle towards him

is only a shadow, a representation

of what the Lord felt when He brought Becca to Himself.

He loves her.

He sent His Son to die for her.

He longed to have her in His presence.

But, to fulfill the desire of His heart,

He had to break our hearts.

Since "to live is Christ, to die is gain" is true,

we know by faith  Becca has great gain.

The loss is only felt by those of us left on earth.

Rebecca's homecalling leaves a great void in many lives,

many hearts, many spiritual walks.

During her funeral service, the minister

speculated there'd be many little girls named after Rebecca.

There already are.

After working with her at Box T Bible Camp

we were so impressed

we named out last daughter

Rebekah Joy

with the desire that our daughter would be as faithful

as this dear friend.

 

But, by faith, in the depths of my heartbreak,

I choose to believe the Scriptures,

 this is in the Lord's plan,

this is for good.

I choose to not let my heartache

cloud the truth that Rebecca is at the feet of Jesus,

worshipping His Holy name,

singing praises in her voice that is

not longer cumbered by coughing and disease.

So, I am choosing to rejoice and praise the Lord for

two brides

and

two bridegrooms.

**********

 

Jessica, a dear friend of mine and also

Becca's best friend,

bore her heart through the final celebrations

in her blog, Blessed Beyond Measure.

If you're interested,

click on the links to see how the Lord has been given

the glory due His Holy Name.

 

The Last Visit

Becca's Reviewal

Becca's Celebration

Laura Story singing "Blessings"

Becca's Funeral

**********

Becca blogged at A Cracked Pot.

Here is her first blog.

I've been rereading her life story,

but since I don't know any fancy bookmarking technique,

I just email myself the last link I read so I can keep reading.

Even though you know how the story ends,

it will be encouraging to read.