It all started when my husband started leaving his wedding ring at home when he left for work. So I asked him about it. He said he didn't like wearing his ring to work, it was similar to when he went out to the field when he was in the Army, he never wore it then either.
I didn't like that answer. I felt a little hurt. I was never worried about infidelity. It was more about wanting to show our love to the world, to show strangers that we have a special someone at home. I was putting a lot of thought and emphasis on that inanimate object.
It led to further discussion and I began to realize he truly was doing this for work purposes. I won't go in to the details, but in his profession a lot of men don't wear their rings for numerous reasons. So I slowly began to realize that it made sense for him to leave it at home, so long as he wore it when he was off. But secretly in the back of my mind I hoped he would change his mind just to make me happy.
A few days later, we lost my husbands wedding ring. We spent several days looking for it and tearing our house apart. We tried enticing our 3 year old with chocolate if she would tell us that she put the ring somewhere. We took a flashlight and looked in every crevice of our house. We took the sheets and mattress off our bed and searched thoroughly. We looked in every shoe, in the washer and dryer, in the couch cushions, etc....
My husband was infuriated. He was very upset that it was gone, which reassured me that there was sentimental value behind it for him. So I told him, "It's gone. But we're still married." The next morning he said he agreed with me, we weren't going to let a ring ruin our weekend. So it got me thinking.... are wedding rings a tradition set forth by the Bible, or by man?
I found this: "Although the Bible has quite a few references to marriage and weddings it does not establish the use of any particular symbols such as wedding rings to represent the marriage commitment. God made marriage, so marriage is holy. Only God can make something holy. Since he didn't command the use of wedding rings, there is nothing holy about them." (from http://www.biblestudy.org/question/are-wedding-rings-biblical-what-do-they-symbolize.html)
So I've decided that I need to remind myself the importance of my marriage, and not my jewelry. I told my husband I will not wear my wedding ring until we find his. And I said that it doesn't mean we don't love each other or want to be unfaithful. Just the opposite, in fact, it means that I love him so much that I'm secure enough to go without a symbol. For the time being, neither of us have our wedding rings on. And our marriage couldn't be stronger. It's a lesson I want to teach myself.
I miss the feel of my ring, the comfort of it, the sentiments it holds, the shiny diamond.... :D So as soon as we find his ring or replace it, I will wear mine again, proudly. Until then... I will be at peace with the fact that our marriage is still a holy one.
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