You don't really need a ring

Most of my super-Adventist cousins don't wear wedding bands. The whole "jewelry" thing, you know?  When discussing it with one of my cousins a few years ago, I mentioned the fact that I did not see that the wedding ring qualified as jewelry but only as a visible symbol of a commitment. That's when she said she didn't need one because the most visible symbol would be the fact that she constantly talked about her husband. No one would ever have to wonder if she was married or not.

I've thought about that comment for many years. And decided that I quite agree with it. A wedding band wouldn't be necessary if you went around bragging about your spouse all day. It is quite true that if the outward symbol was visible devotion, the necessity for a ring wouldn't exist. So I'm okay with not wearing a ring.  (I'm also okay with wearing it, of course.)

In my case, I do not have an earthly husband but I have a heavenly one. Jesus. He is also a husband to many others. Some people wear a cross necklace to identify their loyalty or love to God. Others have dove stickers on their car or Bible verses on their t-shirts or iPhone cases or whatever.  All those identifiers make it clear to the public that they love Jesus (or at least profess to be Christians). 

I like all those Jesus identifiers; they draw Him to my mind whenever I see them.  But my favorite thing is when I walk into a church or a home or anyplace, and see evidence of Jesus on people's faces, hear it in their words, and see it in their actions.  I'd like to live in a world where I don't have to wonder if a person loves Jesus or not, I could just KNOW it because they wouldn't be able to stop talking about Him. 

You know what's sad?  I've been in Christian homes where the name of Jesus wasn't even spoken for days and days.  Just the memory of those moments brings a cold shiver through my body. How is that possible?  How can a person profess to love Jesus and not talk about Him? It'd be like if a wife visited some friends for a week and never even let on that she was married. Wouldn't her friends be surprised? Of course they would be. They'd be like, "Oh my goodness? You're married?  When did that happen?  Why didn't you even tell us?  Can't believe it didn't come up in the last seven days!"  Would the wife say: "It's not that big of a deal. I see Him about once a week. And I listen to the mixed tape he made for me every day. I just didn't have anything terribly interesting to share. He's just a husband. Does husbandy stuff. Besides, I had more fun talking to you guys about our favorite movies and tv shows and getting that pedicure and going out to dinner and shopping."  

Yeah, you'd have to wonder about how devoted she was to her marriage. I'm sure you'd expect that it probably wouldn't last. 

It would be my eternal earthly joy to live in a home where Jesus is an integral part of everything we do and think and live. And I do thank God for the blessing of the children I have.  Jesus often seems to be on their hearts and lips and I pray that it continues to grow.  I pray for the wisdom to teach them what I know and the passion to never neglect this kind of example and instruction.  

Because I want to live in a community where people KNOW who I serve.  I don't want them to wonder.  I want to wear Jesus on my face and represent Him in my actions and identify Him with my words.  I don't want to wear a ring.  I just want my heart to sing His praises, silently and out loud.

And someday, when this earthly phase of eternity is over, we will live in a community where love for Jesus will be pouring out of people's hearts like Niagara Falls.

I so look forward to the next phase of earth's history...