Counting It All Joy
A Traditional Indian Wedding
Have you ever looked forward to something, maybe a trip to your favorite restaurant or a visit to far away family members, only to have everything fall through? The disappointment can range from mild frustration to complete heartbreak. Either way, it’s not something people long to experience.
Nelson is a young man living in southern India. He comes from a Sunday-keeping Christian family. Like most young men, Nelson looked forward to one day getting married. Like most Indians, Nelson’s parents chose his future bride. After considering the eligible young ladies in his town, they selected a young woman they found suitable for him and asked her parents for her hand.
The woman’s parents agreed and both families began planning the wedding, picking the venue, deciding the menu, and settling the guest list. Everything was going well. That is, until one day, Nelson got an unexpected call from his fiancée’s family. They wanted to stop the wedding. Why? Nelson wondered, this doesn’t make any sense!
Nelson decided to ask his parents if they knew why his fiancée’s parents so suddenly changed their minds. They had demanded his fiancée’s parents pay for certain wedding decorations, Nelson’s parents explained, but they could not afford them. Since they could not meet the demands of the groom’s family, they decided to stop the wedding.
During this sad time, Nelson met some JFA Bible Workers. They asked him what had happened, and offered to pray for him. They explained to him about the Bible and creation, the Sabbath, baptism, and the second coming of Christ. He learned so many things he’d never heard before.
Although Nelson was disappointed that his wedding plans fell through, he said he was grateful that they did. “I praise God for stopping the marriage. Otherwise I would not come to know the truth through the sisters,” Nelson said.
James 1:2-4 says, “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
In this life, we often go through disappointments, but God does not let them be in vain. He takes our hardships and turns them into opportunities to teach us something important or to reveal Himself to us more fully, just like He did for Nelson.
As we look up at Him, rather than at our problems, we can find joy even in the hardest situations.
But Nelson’s story does not end here. A few days after Nelson learned the truth from the Bible Workers, both families agreed to talk together. They worked out their differences and agreed to the marriage for a second time. By the grace of God, Nelson and his fiancée are now married. “God is so great,” Nelson said. “I thank the Lord for making me to know about God’s plan and [His] blessing. Many praises to Jesus.”
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