Kyleigh has asked me to write a
document outlining the symbolism in her engagement ring design. I
have happily obliged, and this is the result:
The Diamond
The first and most obvious symbolism in
Kyleigh's engagement ring is the precious stone in the middle, which
is a diamond. The jewelry industry has a lot of symbolism which it
likes to attribute to diamonds, with such cheesy slogans as,
“diamonds are forever” or “eight diamonds together are symbolic
of eternity”. I reject these meanings – if not outright, then I
at least reject them for the ring that I gave Kyleigh. I reject them
because marriage itself is not forever, despite what every jewelry
store merchant and commercial wedding planner cries from the
rooftops. Marriage is only until death, where it then gives way to a
much greater glory. I reject them because diamonds are not actually
forever, and will pass away with the old earth. And from what I can
tell, these industry slogans are a materialistic attempt to fill the
void which has been left in society by the removal of a biblical
understanding of what marriage is.
I think that it would be
possible for Kyleigh and I to take the idea that “diamonds are
forever” and bend it into a godly symbolism for her ring. However,
I would instead like to use the symbolism of a diamond as rare and
valuable. Anyway, diamonds have been symbolic of value since long
before our society lost its soul to materialism.
To be succinct, the diamond symbolizes
Kyleigh's value (Prov. 31:10). I could talk about how Kyleigh and I
are so well matched in our tastes on so many things, or how many
delightful inside jokes we have, or how similar our personalities
are, or how beautiful she is. All of these things are precious gifts
from God. However, her true value is in her love of God. It is rare
to find a girl whose first desire is to glorify God in her life. But
it is even more rare to find a girl whose life is disciplined,
organized, and planned according godly wisdom, a deep understanding
of theology, and a desire to live for His glory.
The Ring
The ring is not simply an indicator of
relationship status. What I mean is that while Kyleigh's ring does
indicate to others that she is engaged, it does this by implication
rather than by direct meaning. It is not the relationship status bar
on facebook. Rather, it is a symbol of the sacred covenant which is
being formed between us. By implication of the covenant, we are
engaged. However, the ring symbolizes the covenant, not the
“relationship status”.
When a man gives a woman a ring in
modern western culture, this is typically seen as “going to the
next level of relationship”. But in giving Kyleigh her ring, we
began our relationship as an
unbreakable union (Matt 19:6), symbolized by the fact that the ring
and the diamond form an unbroken circle.
Note: to be clear,
the unbreakable covenant of marriage is not yet formed between
Kyleigh and myself. However, in the interim, the ring symbolizes our
promise to finalize the covenant on our wedding day.
The Vine
I knew for a long time that I wanted to
have a custom ring made for Kyleigh, but I was uncertain of what
design elements I would want to use. After some conversations between
us regarding the theology of marriage, I began to realize that I
wanted elements which would represent the eternal significance of the
one-flesh union (Eph 5:31-32) contrasted with its temporary nature
(Matt 22:30). After some searching, I came upon the symbols of the
morning glory and the vine.
The vine is a symbol of the unity
between Christ and the members of His bride (John 15:4-5). Christ is
the vine, and we are the branches. We abide in Him, and He in us, and
thus we bear much fruit. Having a vine as the primary design element
of Kyleigh's ring symbolizes the eternal significance behind our
temporal union: an earthly bride and groom are shadows of the
heavenly bride (the church) and the heavenly groom (Christ). Our love
is a shadow of His love, our faithfulness of His faithfulness, our
perseverance of His perseverance, and our joy of the Joy that we will
have with Him in eternity. And so, as we abide with each other in
covenant love, we will be awaiting the completion of our union with
Christ in heaven, of which our love will only ever be a shadow.
The Morning Glory
Unfortunately, due to the intricate
design of a morning glory and the smallness of an engagement ring, I
decided not to include any morning glories on Kyleigh's ring. Likely,
they would have been hard to see on a surface roughly three
millimeters across. However, I was able to locate a custom ring box
manufacturer, and thus had a ring box made with a morning glory
design on the top.
The symbolism of the morning glory is
five-fold:
1. It symbolizes the temporary nature
of marriage. The morning glory flower derives its name from the fact
that it lasts only one day. It has one morning of glory before it
wilts. It may very well have been the plant that Jesus referred to in
Matthew 6 (vs 28-30). In any case, it will serve to remind Kyleigh
and me that “all flesh is like the grass” (Is 40:6), and that the
significance of our marriage is found in its eternal value, not its
temporal glory.
2. It symbolizes the beauty of marriage. God clothes the lilies of the field with more beauty than Solomon (Matt 6:29), and He likewise has clothed marriage with the beauty of His design for it, as well as the beauty that he gives to marriages between His children by His Spirit's sanctifying power.
2. It symbolizes the beauty of marriage. God clothes the lilies of the field with more beauty than Solomon (Matt 6:29), and He likewise has clothed marriage with the beauty of His design for it, as well as the beauty that he gives to marriages between His children by His Spirit's sanctifying power.
3. It symbolizes God's care for the
marriages of His children. If He cares enough to crown each
wildflower with more glory than king Solomon possessed, how much more
will he adorn the marriages of those who fear Him, for His name's
sake?
4. It symbolizes the toughness of a
Godly marriage. Morning glories, often considered weeds by farmers,
can be extremely difficult to get rid of. Cut them down, and they
soon come back. A godly marriage is like this, too. No matter what
the world and satan throw at it, it always returns to covenant love.
5. Finally, it symbolizes the way that
a godly marriage receives its strength from Jesus. Many varieties of
morning glory grow on vines. Similarly, our marriage must “grow on
the vine” as we abide in the great vine, Jesus Christ (John
15:4-5).
