Just a Couple of Kissing Pigs.

I've recently realized I have a bit of a fixation to attractive couples. Maybe I'm not the only one. Maybe that's why People magazine can run a million issues with Brangelina (or is it Angelad) on the cover (as shown on left).

I'm not actually writing about movie star attractiveness though. When I use the word attractive I'm talking more about the way people act. Here's what I mean. When I see a couple—a boyfriend and girlfriend, husband and wife, or whatever it may be—who treat each other with love and respect, I have a tendency to stare. Just the other day there was a young couple walking into Dismores as I was leaving with some milk and eggs. They each had the biggest smile on their face as they held hands and walked and talked. I had to force myself not to turn around and watch them. Maybe I'm just a creeper.

There is a part of me that is a strong romantic. It is a part that often battles against the logical/realist part of me. But to be honest, my captivation with attractive couples has little to do with the romantic part of me, at least in the worldly sense. The reason that I tend to wonder at healthy couples is because they remind me of Christ and how we, the church, have the privilege to be called His bride.

When I see a young married couple who seem to swoon at the very idea of their partner, I am reminded of the joy I first received when I was found by Christ.

When I happen to oversee an embrace or a kiss, I am prompted to dwell on how God sent his son to embrace a dying world.

When I learn of a couple who has been able to overcome great mistakes, forgiving one another, I can't help but think about how the Lord has forgiven my sins through His blood.

When I'm around a couple who seem to make each other somehow holier and more of themselves than if they were apart, I am amazed that through Christ's death on the cross, and his resurrection from the grave, we the church are made and declared holy, free to live life to the fullest and in abundance.

And on those rare occasions, when I see the ninety year old couple, sitting hand-in-hand on a park bench, I rejoice in the knowledge that we the bride will have the immense pleasure to live with Christ for all of eternity.