Sunday, July 10, 2011

The Summer of the Wedding aka "Happily Ever After"

Nathan and I attended our final wedding of the summer. Mandy and Jamie were first on April 24, 2011. Sarah and Thomas were next on June 11, 2011. Yesterday we celebrated with Dan and Morgan. Weddings always make me nostalgic and a little reflective. Each wedding was so unique, beautiful and special. I enjoyed all three of them immensely. I am grateful that God in His wonderfully mysterious and precious way united each of these souls to Him and to each other. It's just a beautiful thing.

Many people though think of weddings as a "fairy tale" ending to a love story. I did too when I was younger and naive. Now I realize they might be a "fairy tale" beginning, but that marriages are FAR FROM fairy tale. They are filled with wonderful moments and blessed times but they are also filled with hurt feelings, unmet expectations, sickness, financial trouble, unkind words, and yes even lonliness. There isn't a perfect marriage on the face of the planet. Marriage is a testing ground. It is an opportunity to draw us to Jesus and to make us more like him. Being married is a moment by moment challenge as well as a joy.

I am praying for the Dunhams, Johnsons and Maxams. I am praying that their lives together will be graced with hardship that brings them closer to Jesus and to each other. I pray that their homes will be filled with noise, busyness and chaos that will cause them to search for that still small voice. I pray that they will know struggle that causes them to depend FULLY on God. Enjoy each other guys. Live, laugh, love and be FREE. However, I pray your lives aren't too easy. That way you'll never appreciate God or each other. So as much as I love you I'm not praying for "Happily Ever After". I'm praying growth, honesty, reality and JOY IN THE JOURNEY!!!