So Boaz took Ruth, and she became his wife and he went in to her. Ruth 4:13
For anyone familiar with the book of Ruth, you know that Boaz, a prominent Israelite from the tribe of Judah chose to marry Ruth, a Moabite, a foreigner from a different nation and culture. The Lord blessed this cross-cultural marriage covenant between Boaz and Ruth, not only in their days but across the generations. Ruth and Boaz are the great-grandparents of King David, and both their names appear in Matthew in the lineage of Jesus, the Messiah.
This month we are celebrating a wedding. Several people have asked how I feel about the marriage. Why do they ask this? Our daughter, Katie’s skin is light and Anthony’s skin is dark. Until recently, I would have said Anthony is African-American, but I discovered his mother’s background is a mixture of Polynesian, Filipino and Hispanic.
Anthony is a wonderful man who makes Katie laugh and treats her kindly. I am excited for them and pray they will remain close to the Lord their entire lives. (I don’t know how anyone can stay married without the Lord!) When they first began dating, my biggest concern was whether if Anthony was as devoted to Jesus as he was to Katie. However, as the years have passed, I have observed them attending church, serving in nursery together and sharing life with other believers. They have both grown closer to God. After meeting Anthony’s grandparents, I knew that they have been praying for him and his future even as we have prayed for Katie and hers.
In case you still have reservations (prejudices) about cross-cultural marriages, I urge you to consider a union between the greatest diversity of cultures. For those of us who comprise the Bride of Christ (sinful humans washed clean by the blood of the Lamb), our Bridegroom is none other than our divine Creator, Jesus, who left heaven to make a way for us to enter into an eternal marriage covenant with Him.
Poiema by Lynn 
I love this Lynn! What a great comparison between cross cultural marriages and our divinely ordained marriage of the Bride of Christ to our Bridegroom, our perfect and Sinless Savior! Did you share this on Facebook? I’m thinking it needs to be shared. Love you!
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I agree, your comparison is a smart consideration & all marriages have thier challenges, cross culture is only one of many & really we all bleed the same as Mandisa notes in her song while we all also have our differences & most of us are a mixture of many cultures that we don’t even know. I believe as you do, that a Jesus center is what is most important & as a Christian that is what I desire for my children. Though I tend to relate to people who are more like me, I have learned there is great value in those that are different & it takes courage to be adventurous & step out of what is comfortable to experience a different type of personality & culture. With Jesus in the center, they can grow together & overcome any difficulties thier differences may pose. With supportive parents like yourself & Mike, that is a blessing in itself.
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Beautiful, well said Lynn.
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Love this, Lynn! Thank you for sharing your heart and deep insight with us!! Much love to Katy and Anthony!!
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What a blessing to embraces diversity, if we were all the same the world would be so boring. I love your passage and know God’s ❤️ and blessings are on Anthony and Katie’s union.
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Dearest Lynn,
As Anthony’s grandmother, I cannot tell you how much I treasure your words here. And I love your beautiful insight about how we are all going to be part of a “mixed marriage” in the Heavenly realm.
Thank you for Katie and how she is an amazing blessing in our dear grandson’s life. She truly is an answer to our prayers for him, and you and Mike are a joy to Bill and to me that we had not even known to pray for. : )
Love always, Ellie
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P.S. Lynn, I want to share this beautiful post with my family and friends who love Anthony and Katie and rejoice in their marriage. (And I’ll call Suzanne and find out how to do this.)
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