Say yes to The Dress, Not the Stress!
By Taytum Marler
February, the month of love. As we enter into the season of chocolates and flowers, I find myself looking forward to a day of love far superior to February 14th. Being recently engaged, I realize that most of my time has been spent looking at flower arrangements and budgeting for chairs; all in preparation for my wedding day that seems to be rapidly approaching. As the number of days left gets smaller, the stress seems to only grow.
As Christians, we strive to have a God-centered marriage, which after the “I do’s” makes sense, but how do you keep God as your main focus while planning the wedding? Personally, I seem to be having a hard time with that concept. The main struggle I have is the stress, which I am sure that everyone who has ever planned a wedding can understand. The to-do list seems never ending, and that “perfect day” just looks like a hodgepodge mess of the ideas that I have in my head. Now, I know that all these thoughts are simply because I am in the middle of everything; being 4 months out makes it a little difficult to see how it will all pull together. The stress, however, is something I have tried to make a point of releasing. A task I have to work at every. single. day. As a natural born worrier, I constantly find myself picking the stress up and holding on to it, when I really should not. To help combat my human-ways I try to pray for my wedding every day–the date, the ceremony, the reception, and especially the stress. I know that God is sovereign, and it will all work out according to His plan, but in practice I seem to fail at giving it all to Him. It certainly has been a season of learning how to give up the stress and give it to the Lord.
I have found one way to help manage my stress level is that I pray about every decision. Everything from the invitations to the cups we will use. It may seem a bit excessive, but I know that if I slip and worry about even the smallest thing, eventually, I will become a bridezilla. As I pray about every detail, I also like to give thanks for the prayers He has already answered. Someone once told me, “Why would God bless you for the big things when you are not grateful for the small things He gives you?” I keep this in the forefront of my mind. I can definitely see the blessings He gives me, and for that I try to verbalize my thankfulness every day. This brings to mind Luke 12:48 which says, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” I want to be the type of person God can “entrust” things to, not just in regard to a wedding but in all aspects of life. In order to be that person, I must keep Him as my priority, which, admittedly, is difficult during this season. When you plan a wedding, most of your time and energy goes into that wedding. However, that is no excuse to exclude Christ out of your life. I have found that by doing these practices every day, my stress has all but dissipated. The days that I forget, or simply refuse to give it all to the Lord, are the days that I get overwhelmed easily and become snippy to those only trying to help.
Now, this has not been a “how to” article. I cannot write one since I am learning the “how to” right alongside of you. Although, I do believe that the things I am trying to implement into my life are important for everyone, not just for brides. Giving your stress to the Lord, whether you are stressed about a wedding, finding a home, or excelling in your job, is the right thing to do. It will not be easy, as I mentioned above, I have to continually give my stress over to the Lord, but in the end, I know He is in control and my stress is only harming me and the relationships I have around me.
“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7