clothe.

word of the day: clothe \ˈklōth\ to endow especially with power or a quality

You may remember my friend Holli. She's the one who coined the phrase "Have a mango day," and one of the ones who helped teach me what true community looks like. The most important thing you need to know about Holli right now, though, is that she got married last Saturday.

And she was stunning.

Holy cow, she was stunning.

So were her bridesmaids...

I'm such a wedding sap and I love every moment of the festivities. I have found that I don't often cry at weddings, however. Instead, my chin tends to get really quivery. Sometimes my eyes well up, but more often than not, my mouth just trembles. I get this quivery feeling at two specific moments: The first is if someone asks me to tell them how much the bride means to me. If you ask me to simultaneously sum up my relationship with a best friend as well as encourage her into matrimony, my throat automatically starts to tighten. The second time is during the processional. There is so much power in that gaze isn't there? It's a feeling of "we're really doing this, aren't we?" and "there isn't anywhere else I'd rather be."

Pretty emotional, quivery stuff if you ask me.

Also pretty symbolic.

As I was reading my Bible today, I kept coming across passages that reference God clothing us in righteousness.

I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

- Isaiah 62:8

Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, "Remove the filthy garments from him." And to him he said, "Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments." And I said, "Let them put a clean turban on his head." So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments.

- Zechariah 3:4-5

Let us rejoice and exult and give him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure -- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.

- Revelation 19:7-8

What a beautiful picture Holli's white dress paints for me of God's faithfulness as a relentless Romancer. God promises to clothe me in fine linens of righteousness for no other reason than because He loves me. No other reason.

And that makes me think of my quivery chin as Holli walked down the aisle. Perhaps it wasn't all because of the way she and Chris were gazing at each other. Perhaps it is because that moment reminded me of my need to draw near to God. My need to declare to Him, "You have me. You have my heart completely."

Out on the farthest edge

There in the silence

You were there

My faith was torn to shreds

Heart in the balance

But You were there

Always faithful

Always good

You still have me

You still have my heart

I thought I had seen the end

Everything broken

But You were there

I’ve wandered in Heaven’s gates

I’ve made my bed in Hell

You were there still

You have me

You have me

You have my heart completely

"You Have Me"

-Gungor