I don’t wear much jewelry. I don’t have a problem with it exactly, but I have a problem with folks who wear enough that it screams, “look at me.” I used to be one of those folks. So when after nearly 25 years of marriage our wedding rings both broke within months of each other, it was annoying but not the end of the world. I have a permanent dent in my wedding ring finger. I look like and act like a married woman, with or without a ring.
I suspect there were some spiritual reasons our rings both broke when they did. We have had generational weapons pointed at our marriage since the day we married. There are still some who don’t approve I am sure. But God approves, so they will just have to get over it . Our marriage is like an old TN barn. On some days it stands straighter than others, and it is very weathered. But it has been standing for what appears a hundred years, and there is little doubt that it will still be standing a hundred years from now. Yes there have been storms, especially in the early years, but this barn still stands and it is filled with a harvest of treasures that no one can take away.
So when our rings broke it was just another one of those opportunities to realize that what is real is real even if it doesn’t always appear so. I actually turned the thought around and wondered if most folks are even married long enough to wear out their rings. It is quite an accomplishment these days. But what we didn’t realize is that our children were concerned that it also LOOK real. They wanted parents with rings on. To them, it is important. To them, they liked the fact that everyone else saw parents who had been married a quarter of a century. So… we are getting our rings fixed. And it is a gift.
While we don’t always care what things look like on the outside, and sometimes rightly so if we know it is right on the inside, our children care. They are watching. And even if silently, they are saying, “give us an example, give us hope in this messed up world.” Just one more instance of realizing how important our walk is in front of others.
Remember everyone is watching, and as believers we are always on duty.
and .. your thoughts?