Tonight, I attended the wedding of one of the sweetest couples I have ever known. Oh, the weather outside was frightful. Yes, indeed. It has been a dreary, gray day. When the rain came this afternoon, it came with claps of thunder and lightning. Counties to east of us even had tornadoes. This weather was the kind that makes you wonder, "do I go or not go?" I almost didn't, but I am so glad I did.
Weddings have a way of either taking you back to your wedding day, or they make you dream of your future wedding. Which day dream you have depends on what season of life you are in at the time. I did think of my wedding tonight, and how long ago it was. I thought of all the life Keith and I have lived from that rainy day June 1996 until now. Births and deaths, moves and houses, love and hate. So much life!
But as I watched the couple tonight, I also watched my daughters out of the corners of my eyes. One in junior high and the other in college. My oldest is closer to her wedding day (by age and stage) that I care to imagine. I wondered what was going through their minds as the bride came down the aisle in her glowing white gown. I wondered if they were wanting to have simply beautiful decorations like tonight or were they thinking destination weddings. I wondered if they could see the qualities in the couple that I see.
We have had many conversations over the years about what each of them wants for their weddings. Some of their plans change with the wind; others have remained the same. There have been lots of talks about their dresses largely in part because we love to watch "Say Yes to the Dress."
My daughters and I have also had conversations about what to look for in their future husbands. They seem to more know of what they don't want instead of what they do want. More and more the older they get they are speaking boldly that God must be first in their dream guy. My prayer is that they settle for nothing less. I pray for Cooper to find a precious girl that seeks to serve and honor God with her life, too. I am thankful in advance that Aubri will get to see her older sisters choose a man who's utmost desire is to be a godly husband and father.
As a paralegal, I saw many, many couples come in to our office and say they are ready to call it quits. Most of the time there was someone else already in the picture or the couple had decided that life would be better without the other person. God's law and intent was not honored; it was just thrown aside like a wet bath towel until someone was ready to pick it up again. I wondered if God was even really in the picture in the beginning. I suppose not.
Every little girl's dream is that of happily ever after. It is molded and planned in detail from the time they first hear of Disney princesses or Barbie's dream house. Every little girl's dream can be shattered into a million pieces in a matter of seconds, if she is taught by the world what to want and what to be. As parents, as mothers and fathers and mentors, we are to lay the foundation of that dream and build castle blocks upon castle blocks of God and His ways.
I praise God for parents who raised the Prince Charming and Cinderella that I watched take their vows to each other tonight. I praise God for the people in their lives that pointed them to the alter before God and who taught them that God must be the center of their marriage.
I praise God tonight for His direction in the raising of my own children. I praise Him for His Word and His laws. I thank Him for being there for my prince and princesses despite my human error. And I praise Him for the ones He has hand-picked for each of the "parts" of my heart.
I'm looking forward to the future and thankful for the past.
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