Hubby and I have been working on converting hubby’s grandparents’ slides to digital photos.
Back when hubby and I were dating, we would sometimes go over to his grandparents’ apartment. His grandpa greatly enjoyed pulling out the slides and entertaining us with a slide show. I’m sure hubby and I have probably seen some of these slides/photos before (but that was over 30 years ago) … so to be honest, it feels like this is the first time we have seen these photos.
Hubby’s grandparents had 5 children. As we have been working through the slides, we have been coming across photos of their children’s weddings. Cute young couples! … so full of life & enthusiasm!
It might sound strange, but it has been rather shocking to see these adorable young couples so happy and so excited to be getting married! And they are young!
Our world that we live in today, young couples are not getting married. For several generations now, families have been fractured and broken apart! As the “family” has been splintered to pieces … the children of these broken marriages have suffered deep wounds.
Resultingly, they don’t want a repeat of that pain … therefore, they have no interest in getting married! Whatsoever. They have no interest in having children … or having a family.
It has felt so strange and foreign to look at the slides of the 1960’s young couples who were so excited to get married!
Not only that … the slides continued to show each of the young couples with their adorable first-born child. Each young couple was so excited to have children!
Regardless of the couple, each strong handsome young man was elated to be a dad! And in each case, the beautiful young wife was thrilled to be mom! It was all over their faces! It was obvious in the tender way they held their child.
And then the slides proceeded to show each of these young couples as their family grew … adorable little boys and girls! Each young dad was obviously being aged by the weighty responsibility of caring for and providing for his family. And each young mom was clearly being matured by motherhood. But they were so happy and thrilled to be a family!
Seeing these young newly married couples, and then the following slides of them with their first-born child … that’s exactly (and I mean exactly) how the photos of mine and hubby’s wedding, and of us with our firstborn, look. Hubby and I look exactly like the young couples from the 1960’s slides – so excited to get married! … and then so thrilled when our firstborn came along!
If we open the Bible at the very beginning we see that the Bible opens with marriage – a cute young couple which God made and brought together in marriage. They were so excited to be in a marriage relationship with each other! And they were so excited to have children!
If we turn to the very end of the Bible in Revelation, we see at that the Bible closes with a marriage – the bride of Christ (everyone who believes & trusts in Jesus Christ for salvation) will be forever in loving relationship in Heaven with Jesus.
And in between the beginning of the Bible … and the end of the Bible … God has given humanity “marriage” as a gift. Marriage is a gift from God. Marriage is so special because God created marriage.
God created us for marriage.
That’s why the photos from the 1960’s reveal such delight … each of the young couples have so much joy & delight! Because God created us for marriage.
Mine & hubby’s wedding photos are the same. And our son & daughter-in-law’s wedding photos are the same … so much joy & delight! Because God created us for marriage.
* The love a husband has for his wife is a picture of the love Jesus Christ has for those who trust & believe in Him.
* The love a wife has for her husband is a picture of the love the followers of Jesus Christ have for him.
* The faithful commitment and fidelity in the marriage is a picture of the faithfulness and commitment Jesus Christ has for us … and likewise, the faithfulness and fidelity we in turn have in our relationship with Jesus to love him alone.
In one of the boxes of old slides, hubby discovered this Precious Moments figurine from his grandparents’ 50th Wedding Anniversary.
It reminded me that I have a similar item from my own grandparents’ 50th Wedding Anniversary.
My Grandmother had been greatly hoping to receive a clock such as this for their 50th Wedding Anniversary. As it turned out, my grandparents wound up receiving 4 clocks such as this. My Grandmother was thrilled.
As I was going through the keepsake tub to get the Golden Anniversary Clock, I realized that I also have a gift item from my other grandparents’ 50th Wedding Anniversary.
And then it occurred to me that hubby’s second set of grandparents would also have celebrated their 50th Wedding Anniversary if death had not snatched away his grandpa to Heaven early.
All four sets of mine and hubby’s grandparents had faithful committed marriages!
And both mine and hubby’s parents have celebrated their own 50th Wedding Anniversaries.
Did you happen to notice the snow in the above photos? I was delighted that a small bit of snow was still remaining so I could get the photos with the snow purposefully featured.
Psalm 103:15 compares our life to grass or flowers which are here for only a brief time then are gone. As I’ve been watching the snow melt, the briefness of our life could also be compared to the snow which is only here for a few days, then quickly melts away.
“As for man, his days are like grass [aka: snow], he flourishes like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
“But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children – with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.” – Psalm 103:15-17
Here you can see my Grandmother’s grandparents – hence my Great-great-grandparents. Once again, a loving faithful committed marriage, to the 5th generation back.
Generations come. Generations go. Our life is so brief! Our days on this earth are so fleeting!
But God remains … faithful and constant! Unchanging!
From generation to generation, God’s love is faithful! God will always be faithful!
God created “marriage” as a picture of God’s own faithfulness!
