You Are So Beautiful!, June 17
Written by David Gira
“How beautiful you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful! Your eyes are doves” (Song of Songs 1:15 NIV).
A few weeks after my cancer diagnosis, Amy and I received a wedding invitation from a good friend of hers from nursing school. Given my cancer, I wasn’t at all enthusiastic. But the bride-to-be had asked Amy to be a bridesmaid, and she was thrilled. We would be going.
The morning of the wedding, Amy left early for a special breakfast for the bridesmaids. They would need nourishment for a jam-packed day of picking up gowns, last-minute alterations, hair styling, facials, makeup, and nails.
Thirty minutes before the wedding, I searched my closet for a clean pair of pants and a shirt and tie to go with my best blazer. I shaved my face and combed my hair. I rushed to the church, arriving at the summer wedding a sweaty mess. I took a seat near the front as the processional music started. The groom and several groomsmen strode out to take their place on stage, each handsomely dressed in a black tuxedo. A moment later, the bridesmaids began to process from the back, walking in pairs slowly down the center aisle.
They all looked pretty in their matching gowns. I looked for Amy, excited to see her, but could not. The twelve bridesmaids were organized by height, with the tallest entering first, so it would be a while before my petite princess arrived.
Finally, I saw Amy. Her beauty instantly stunned me: her hair, face, lips, smile, blue eyes, the long shimmering salmon pink sparkling gown. In twenty years of marriage, she had never looked more beautiful.
My eyes followed her as she passed by me. All the bridesmaids wore the same dress and held the same bouquet of flowers, but Amy stood out. I could hardly take my eyes off her. Even as the bride made her big entrance, my sight remained locked on Amy.
The pastor read from Scripture, “Love is patient. Love is kind” (1 Corinthians 13:4 NIV). He spoke on the different kinds of love, and challenged the couple to love each other just as Christ loved them. As he did, my love for Amy grew and overwhelmed me.
They exchanged vows. For better, for worse. In sickness and health. The ritual deeply affected me. I felt as if Amy and I were making our vows to each other. Sitting in my pew, I looked at her and professed my love and promised myself to her again.
In the months prior to the wedding, my cancer had positively impacted our marriage. God had used it for our good. God reminded me that Amy was a gift. He had entrusted her to my care, and me to hers. I came to appreciate Amy more than ever. Cancer revealed many ways I needed to grow in order to be the best husband possible and love her as Jesus loves us.
Despite all of this, I never expected the “wedding I didn’t really want to attend” to be a mountain-top moment for my own marriage. Yet, once again, Jesus showed that He would use everything to accomplish beautiful restoration in our lives. Nothing could stop Him—not even cancer.
Pray: Lord, I pray for every marriage facing cancer. Use this disease to draw husbands and wives and loved ones closer to You and to each other. Enable them to see the beauty in each other and love each other fully. Help each person, married or not, to see the beauty in themselves and the people they love. Amen.
Your Turn: Take time today to behold your marriage partner’s beauty. If you’re not married, think of family, friends and loved ones. What do you see that is beautiful in them? Take time to let them know and give thanks to God.
Michael David Gira, Jr., Cancer Survivor
David was an ordained United Methodist Pastor and graduate of Duke Divinity School. He and his wife, Amy, lived in Raleigh, North Carolina with their three children. In 2017 he was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. In his book, How Cancer Cured Me, he shares many ways he experienced God’s healing. After a 7 year battle with cancer, David is now joyously singing praises in God’s glorious throne room. His legacy lives on through his writing for Cancer Companions, as he continues to proclaim Christ’s hope and healing power to others experiencing cancer. https://www.davidgira.com/how-cancer-cured-me
Cancer Companion’s vision for the future is for every person impacted by cancer to know the hope, love, and grace of Jesus and that every oncology team has included faith in their treatment toolbox. By 2033, Cancer Companions will provide 5 million engagements through cancer prayers, scriptures and interactions to those impacted by cancer. Engagements include; social media outreach, e-newsletters, prayer team requests, 30 days of Cancer Prayer event, and volunteer connections.
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