The Lovely Topic of Engagements

I know that posting this will most likely step on people's toes. So, I apologize in advance if I offend anyone. I am not writing this to judge anyone at all, but I felt that this is something I should write about. I don't know about you, but I feel like every couple of days for the past few months I've constantly been seeing couples get engaged. I'm not sure if it's because I've been getting older, or people are getting engaged younger, or simply because "love is in the air". But whatever is going on, engagements have become a lot more frequent lately. Don't get me wrong; I am truly happy for all these couples that I see getting engaged. But I can't help but wonder if maybe too much emphasis is placed on engagements these days.

I know that ever since I was a little girl, I've dreamed of being married. I still have that dream, but know that I still have a ways to go before that happens. Like many girls, I've pinned several ideas to my "Future Wedding" board on Pinterest. I've even pinned engagement rings, engagement photo ideas, you name it. But lately, I've been asking myself, "Am I just excited to be able to say I'm engaged, or am I excited to spend my life with someone I truly love?" This may be a question that many girls need to ask themselves. I have heard people say that they can't wait to be engaged. It seems that being in a relationship with someone you love doesn't mean anything anymore unless you have a ring to prove it. I've also seen people rush a relationship, becoming engaged after a very short time dating. It's a trend that is happening in Hollywood, and it's a trend that is happening with my generation. What's with the sudden rush to be engaged? I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and I think it's because being engaged has become a kind of status symbol, or a way to make someone happy. I'm not saying that this is a blanket statement that applies to everyone I know that's currently engaged; I'm just saying that this is something that can very possibly be happening, and we need to be aware of it.

As Christians, I believe that putting too much emphasis on being engaged can be dangerous. I believe that God created marriage for the ultimate purpose of glorifying Him. Marriage is a beautiful union between two sinners. God uses this as an example to show us how much He loves us; to symbolize Christ's love for the church. And when we take God's beautiful picture for marriage and put too much emphasis on engagement, that takes away from His glory. When we focus so much on getting engaged one day, that makes it all about us. And that is definitely not what God had planned. It's perfectly okay to be excited about being engaged, because I know I would be. But we do have to make sure that we do not focus only on that. We also have to remember that being engaged does not bring one happiness or fulfillment. If we think that, then we will be extremely disappointed one day. Being engaged is important because it means that two people who love each other and want to bring glory to God will be united one day. It is not just to make us happy. When we only focus on engagement, we are in danger of belittling God's creation of marriage.

Once again, I didn't write this to offend anyone. I wrote this mainly for myself to keep in mind whenever I am on Pinterest next. I need to keep in mind that engagement does not bring one fulfillment or happiness. I will definitely remember this the next time I see a pin of an engagement ring or engagement photo ideas. Engagement is not about someone trying to find happiness and contentment; it is leading to marriage, which is one of God's most beautiful creations for us as humans. 

If this post happened to help you in any way, then I am extremely happy for that! I would love to continue talking about this if anyone has any questions :)