I watched him watch her.

The groom, already in place, watched as the bride began her walk down the aisle. She was beautiful.

Radiant – inside and out.

Her eyes quickly locked with his as she continued to walk forward on the arm of her father.

Overcome with emotion, the groom cried openly as he watched his soon-to-be wife approach him.

In that moment, all he saw was her beauty, her radiance, and the fact that he longed to spend the rest of his life with her. He wasn’t thinking about any of her flaws, weaknesses, or human imperfections.

In his eyes, she was perfect.

Incredible as it sounds, it’s the same way God sees us in Christ today.

The Scriptures refer to Christ and His Church as a groom and a bride.

“…a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife…this mystery is profound, but I am talking about Christ and the church.” (Ephesians 5:31-32 CSB)

As Christ-followers, God sees us in Jesus – perfectly redeemed; completely forgiven; and the sole object of His affection.

In God’s eyes, we are pure, holy, and beautiful.

That’s a hard truth for many of us to wrap our finite heads around, especially when our adversary loves to remind us of our former sin, guilt, and shame.

But, the beautiful truth is all of that was immediately exchanged with forgiveness, love, and grace the moment we said “Yes!” to Jesus.

Singer Keith Green summarized it perfectly in his song When I Hear the Praises Start, “My precious bride, the day is nearing, when I’ll take you in My arms and hold you…I see no stain upon you because you are My child and you know Me. To Me, you’re only holy. Nothing that you’ve done will remain, only what you do for Me.”

I pray that you would see yourself through His eyes today. You are His delight – chosen, deeply loved, and truly cherished.

“I am my love’s, and His desire is for me.” (Song of Solomon 7:10)

Until next time, Grace and Glory!