Joy Has no Price Tag

Some thing that has become a huge pet peeve of mine is when people hang out in that place somewhere  in between lack of humility and materialism.  I am not sure what exactly you would call that overlapping area, but to me it's a huge personality flaw (that yes, I am guilty of).


When I was planning my wedding, the unasked-for advice I heard over and over again was "it's just a day!".
I hated it when people told me that.  It made me feel like my wedding wasn't important or something to celebrate.  I now understand what they were trying to say, but I think they could have done it better.  


As most of you know, Dean and I did not have a traditional engagement or wedding for the most part.  We decided we wanted to get married in December of 2011 and started planning for an October 2012 wedding the month later.  We were not "officially" engaged (with a proposal and ring) until June of 2012.  At the end of July, we decided to push back our wedding date until the Spring of 2013 for various reasons, money (or rather the lack of) was one of them.  Then, just shy of two weeks before our original date of October 13, we said "well, everything but the money part is worked out.  Wanna just get married anyway?"   So we did (a day after the original date because our pastor had to work on Saturday).  So many people were genuinely concerned for me.  Not just because I was sick as a dog, but because they thought I would regret not having a huge reception or the fancy food and dancing   I didn't (and still don't) regret any of that.  I was just thrilled to start forever with my best friend.  


I share all that with you for a reason.  So many people get caught up in the hype of materialistic things.  They end up placing the value in the object and not what could come from it.  It happens often with wedding planning, but Christmas is my favorite example of this.  Christmas is also "just a day"  this one happens to come every year.  Christmas isn't about the cookies, the over the top decor, the gifts, or even the pretty candle light services. Far too many people forget that Jesus was a humble king. He was born in a barn, not exactly a royal entrance. With all the hype that surrounds Christmas, it is easy to forget what we are actually celebrating.  It can happen with anything in our life.  Weddings, holidays, promotions, ect., can all lose there value if we only look at the outward appearance.   
I am so thankful for my nontraditional wedding.  Especially when I ended up in the hospital two days later with two blood clots in my left lung.  No fancy ballroom or tiered cake could have prevented that from happening.  Besides, I would have been to sick to actually enjoy any of it.

  

The thing that I want you to walk away from after reading this is not just the story of Katie and Dean's wedding.  I want you to be able to look at the things in your own life and be willing to see past the hype.  What is the real reason you are doing something?  Are you buying/participating in/doing something because that is what society tells you to do? Or do you really find meaning and value in that?   I know for me, doing our wedding the way we did taught me a lot. And I am so thankful for it.  Will you give God the chance to teach you too?