The Bride of Christ

A few years ago I came across a wonderful story entitled "Johnny Lingo's 8-Cow Wife." (It's too long to reprint here, but it's well worth taking time to "Google" it.) Burt and I have been leading a Wednesday-night study at church on the Blood of Jesus, and we came to a lesson that presented the concept of our becoming the Bride of Christ through His shed blood. We wanted to illustrate the high value Jesus put on His Bride by showing what He was willing to pay: namely, His own life. At the same time, we wanted to demonstrate the amazing potential that He must have seen in us. The story of Johnny Lingo illustrated both points.

I lay in bed early this morning (5:00 a.m., to be exact) and contemplated the implications of the word "bride." Why are we not referred to as the "wife" of Christ? I began to think about being a perpetual bride: to have the thrill of the virginal relationship with our Love sustained forever.

I have had the pleasure of observing three beautiful young women become brides of our sons. I shared the excitement as they made selections for their new homes. I loved being a part of the planning and preparations for the big event, and discussing the wonderful discoveries that they expected to find in each other. Then came the pleasure of seeing each girl appear in her wedding gown. The beautiful aura each conveyed as she made her way toward her waiting groom was dramatic, and as always, the wedding guests anticipated that moment when the music heralded her arrival and the bride appeared.

My eyes, however, went to the groom. As the mother of sons, I rested in the joy of seeing their life circle made complete. This was the moment they had waited for. They had prepared a place to take their bride, a spot where together they would create a home. The engagement ring that she wore on her finger assured the young women that this day would come.

This morning, I am absorbing the truth that we are the Bride of Christ. We will never have to be the "Wife of Christ." Every moment of Eternity we will experience the joy and refreshment of seeing our Lover unveiled for the first time. I really can't comprehend how that will feel, and I surely can't comprehend how Jesus will feel when He sees us, the Bride for whom He was willing to pay the ultimate, "8-cow price," accepting His proposal and joining Him in the place He has prepared for us!