As a small layer of discouragement began to build up in me, I tried to dismiss it with a mix of humor and sarcastic wit. Joking about being on “triple bridesmaid duty”, as I called it, worked a few times to cover up my feelings, but I came to discover that such an attitude was not satisfying to my heart of hearts. At the same time God began to open my eyes and make me aware of the negative air of some of my words. Rather than conveying trust and peace in a faithful and personal God, they were often (even if vaguely) implying that my circumstances were some kind of problem or injustice. Gently but firmly He challenged me to change my attitude and make it my aim not to say anything more negative or sarcastic about being in three weddings, none of which I could call “my own”.

I began thinking about the still-beautiful bridal bouquet on my dresser and how it resembled the picture of what I’ve come to desire my life as a single woman to look like until I am planning “my own” wedding, if marriage be God’s will for my life.

My earthly love story has not yet begun to bloom. Like the lily, it is still closed up and in waiting. Yet, even during the time the lily waits to display its splendor, the bouquet in itself was still very beautiful and alive, not dependent on the lily for its life.

In the same way, an earthly love story will only be a part of my life here on earth. Christ alone is the source of any beauty and meaning in my life; an earthly love story would simply reflect that beauty as another “bloom” in the bouquet. I need not impatiently sit around waiting for the lily to open when there are other areas in my “bouquet” that God wants to see blossomed and thriving. Wouldn’t it have been silly for me to take the bouquet out of the vase each day and just pour some water over the stem of the lily? “Man! If only I could get this lily to bloom the bouquet would be just perfect!” If I were to have centered all my time and energy around the lily, the rest of the flowers would have quickly died, leaving a single, unblossomed stem (not much of a pretty bouquet if you ask me).

One of the “flowers” that God wants to be blooming in my life right now is prayer. He has recently brought my into a season of life in which He has given me the time and desire to develop a powerful prayer life, something that I believe will serve as a solid foundation for the rest of my life and walk with God. But in order for this area of my life to take on the measure of strength and vitality that God wants it to, I must turn my energy away from the lily and make sure this other flower is getting all the water it needs, along with all the other flowers that God has blossomed in my life.

Here’s the cool thing: when the bouquet is being watered and strengthened, the lily is also receiving water that will make it fit to bloom in perfect time. In other words, the best way I can prepare for a beautifully blossomed love story on earth is by investing my time and energy in pouring myself out for Christ in other areas of my life, tenderly watering my love relationship with Him; whether it be prayer, reaching out to the least of these, studying God’s word, or developing a specific gift or passion from Him. Doing so will allow God to shape, grow, and mature me into a set-apart woman after His heart and His glory that is fully prepared for the day when it is time for my love story to bloom, if an earthly love story be within His plan.

The lily bloomed yesterday, and it was one of the most beautiful lilies I have ever seen. I wonder what would have happened if I had tried to pry it open a few days earlier so that it could be in bloom with the rest of the flowers? My guess is that I would have torn some of the petals off and it would have ended up looking more like a dead lily than a freshly blossomed one.

When it comes to flowers blooming, waiting for nature works. When it comes to an earthly romance, waiting for God works. If I try to get ahead of God and pry open the petals of my love story before it is ready to bloom, it will not be as beautiful as God intended it to be. I must take care to water the rest of the bouquet with an expectant and resting faith that in doing so I will be preparing for a love story that will open at the perfect prompting of my Faithful Father. *

I sat tiredly on my bed and looked around my room. A long sage green and satin bridesmaid dress lay draped over the comfy white chair by my window, still beautiful, but looking tired and content as if to imply its mission was complete. The night before I had been in the wedding of a friend from high school. It was the third time I walked down the aisle as a bridesmaid in a time period of six weeks.

Two lovely wedding bouquets sat atop my dresser, each resting in a glass vase.  One bouquet sat leaning to the side, its slightly fatigued rose petals, reminding me that my role as a bridesmaid in three summer weddings was finally complete.  The other stood straight up and dignified, its blooms appearing a little more radiant and eager to live. Amid its soft pinks and whites stood a tall lily, still shut and waiting for the very right moment to bloom.

Within the last four years I’d been a bridesmaid in eight weddings, not counting at least two others I’ve attended. The past five months had been a whirlwind of five bridal showers, seven trips to the alterations lady, and numerous coats of light pink nail polish.

My closet was filling up with dresses of all colors; purple, burnt orange, firecracker, black, sage green, champagne – each as unique as the wedding it represented. Like most girls, I loved weddings, and especially being in them. But as much fun as it was, I had to admit I’d arrived at the point of being “wedding-ed out” for a time.

The recent string of all things bridal started last summer when my friend Colleen got engaged. I had been expecting it to happen in the near future, but I was surprised when suddenly one day it was right there in the local newspaper- her fiance had taken her up in a hot air balloon and proposed. Just days later I got a text message from another friend announcing that she had gotten engaged under a waterfall in Costa Rica while on a missions trip with her church. From that point on, it was one engagement after the other, some expected, others out of the blue. Having gone through a hard break-up just weeks earlier, the constant news of “so and so” getting engaged was beginning to get discouraging. Wasn’t I the one who was supposed to be planning a wedding sometime soon? How had my status gone so quickly from “headed towards marriage” to “bridesmaid times three”?