Why the Royal Wedding Enthralled Us

It’s easy to be cynical or crack jokes about it, but the fact is over 2 billion people across the world watched the recent royal wedding between Prince Harry of Great Britain and American actress Meghan Markel. In the United States alone, 29 million viewers tuned in, many staying up until 3 or 4 in the morning to catch it live.

Not only that, but millions more watched it again and again as it streamed nonstop for days on several cable channels.

My first reaction might be, “Why? Are you kidding me? Weren’t there any sports on somewhere? These people need to get a life!”

Someone else might say, “Get a grip; it’s just a wedding.”

Maybe. But there was something about this wedding – for whatever reason – that drew the focused attention of billions of people in this politically charged, strife-torn world of ours. OK, so what was it? The pageantry? The celebrities? The outfits? The queen? The hats?

Yes, but there was something more, too. Some nearly giddy TV commentators said it had all the elements of a fairy tale or Disney classic: the stunning bride in a Cinderella gown, the handsome soldier-prince in his uniform, the magnificent cathedral, the joyous crowds, the music and choirs. With so much to be discouraged about in our world today, many viewers saw this as something positive, something lofty – and something far, far out of the reach of normal people living normal lives.

Say what you will, but for an hour or two, it lifted people. Countless people tuned in to that sunny ceremony in Windsor because they wanted something more in their lives.

Deep down inside, I think we’re all like that. We always want a little bit more.

Years ago when our granddaughter Stella was little, she made use of the word “more” when she really liked something. Her favorite food in those days was quesadillas. No matter what time of the day it was, she wanted a quesadilla. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, whatever.

Only she called it a “dilla.”

“Stella, what would you like to eat?”

“Dilla.”

And usually when you gave her one she would then say, “More.”

It was the same when I read her a Bible story before bedtime. As soon as I’d finished the story, she said, “More.” So I would read her another story, and at the end she said, “More.” So I would do another. “More.” And another. “More.” Sometimes I thought we would work our way through the whole Bible before we were done. More, more, more.

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But this was good. Stella wanted more quesadillas, and more stories about Jesus, and I’m always happy to supply those.

But grownups want more, too. More out of life. More out of these quickly passing years on earth. We want the newest. The latest. The freshest. The coolest. We want more. We want something that’s just beyond our reach. That’s the way God has wired us. But here’s the problem: As much as we live life, as much as we see and taste and experience, it always seems like it just isn’t quite enough. At some point it dawns on us: I will never live in a castle. I will never ride in a golden horse-drawn carriage or go cruising in a half-million-dollar silver-blue Jaguar E-Type Concept Zero like the one Harry and Meghan drove off into the sunset.

For that matter, my marriage probably won’t achieve fairy-tale status. That beautiful princess (or handsome prince charming) I married began to fade away two days into the honeymoon.

Do you know why that is? Do you know why people feel a dissatisfaction and emptiness inside? The Bible says that God has placed eternity in our hearts (see Ecclesiastes 3:11). At the very core of who we are, there is a recognition that this world is not going to be able to deliver on its promises. So we grab for meaning wherever we can find it.

That is why we find ourselves with a deep-down longing for something this earth can never quite deliver. Have you noticed? Sometimes the world will parade its toys and its so-called pleasures before you, and you’ll find yourself saying deep down in your heart, “That just leaves me cold. That’s not what I desire. That’s not what I want at all.”

C. S. Lewis described this awareness of something more out there, this desire we are pre-wired with, as “the inconsolable longing.” He once said, “There have been times when I think we do not desire heaven, but more often than not I find myself wondering whether in our heart of hearts, we have ever desired anything else.” He went on to say, “It is the secret signature of each soul, the incommunicable and unappeasable want. It is the inconsolable longing.”

Though you may have never heard them admit it, many of the people you know – neighbors, fellow students, co-workers – have an empty place at the core of their lives. They’re looking for something more but have no idea what it is or where to find it.

That’s where you come in. That’s where you have the opportunity to speak a word or two about what God has done for you, what Jesus means to you, and about the hope of eternal life in heaven you carry in your heart. The New Testament says, “Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders, make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone” (Colossians 4:5-6, NIV).

Seasoned with salt? What does salt do? It makes people thirsty! Or it reminds them that they already are. When you speak of your friendship with the living God, your day-by-day walk with Jesus Christ and your hope of heaven, some people may find themselves very thirsty to know more.

The key is to be ready when that moment comes.

In fact, that moment may be here! Check out the website below to find out how you can host or invite family, friends and neighbors to a simulcast of our massive Harvest America event, on June 18 at AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

It’s a rare and amazing opportunity. As the Bible urges us, let’s make the most of it.

HarvestAmerica.com

Taken from my weekly column at World Net Daily.