Jun
28
2016
The Wedding
Posted in Marriage 2 Comments
The morning started at the hair salon.
Her father brought coffee and muffins for everyone.
The bride and the bridesmaids were waiting for the stylist to create their wedding hair.
Phones were in hand checking the weather forecast for the afternoon.
It was not just any wedding, it was the wedding of my daughter.
It had not begun that morning; it had begun over a year before.
It was a day of answered prayer.
It was a day that had been waited for, and hoped for, and was now here.
The groom is a teacher just like my daughter.
In fact, he was the new history teacher when my youngest daughter was in high school.
She had him for first period history class that year.
He makes history come alive, she always said.
I knew from having a daughter who was a teacher, an encouraging email is well received.
I wrote him an email filled with encouragement that was heartfelt and true.
He answered me very humbly and graciously.
Even the principal called me to tell me how much that email meant to the young teacher.
Fast forward years later; my daughter was invited to a young adult Bible study.
Her sister’s history teacher was the co-leader of the study.
Not too long after they met, this young man asked my daughter if she wanted to go for coffee.
They would stop for coffee before church.
They were to meet at a nearby coffee shop.
She went to one location and he went to another.
They called each other and he told her to stay put and he would come to her.
He arrived, they talked and then went on to church.
That was the beginning.
My daughter soon brought him home.
He stood in my kitchen many years after that history class and took out his phone.
He found a particular email and showed it to me.
It was the email that I had written to him all those years before.
God orchestrated all of this in His perfect time.
A ten month engagement looked ahead to a wedding date in late June.
At times it seemed like that day would never come.
And then it was upon us.
And then the day was here.
The ceremony took place in an old country church near our home.
The church has a beautiful balcony.
In that balcony were very special guests.
My daughter invited her second grade class.
There they were.
The children she loves dearly; the children she prays for.
They were not seated.
They were each standing at the balcony railing watching their precious teacher get married.
They had programs in hand and were trying their best to sing along with the worship songs.
They would soon see their beloved teacher kiss her husband.
They couldn’t wait.
They were quiet and respectful; they were so happy for the teacher they love.
I turned to see the bridesmaids dressed in pale yellow carrying a daisy bouquet and I saw them.
The children were in their dress clothes.
This was an important event.
The pastor told all of us that very special guests were in the balcony.
My daughter turned to wave to her children.
She will return to school in the fall with a new name.
The Miss became a Mrs. in an instant.
She is my daughter but she is now his wife and that relationship takes precedence.
After their vows were said, they went forward and did something very special.
They took three ropes: two were the color of hemp and one was golden.
My daughter braided the three ropes and her husband fastened them tightly.
The pastor explained what they were doing.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:12)
The pastor explained that one cord was my daughter, one was her husband, and one was Christ.
The braid with the golden cord in the center is tightly bound.
The Golden Cord is the center of their marriage.
The pastor spoke about the fact that they were both teachers.
He spoke about the influence teachers have on their students.
He reminded them that they now have another classroom.
They now have another sphere of influence.
They are still teaching but now they are teaching about Christ and His church.
They will show the world the meaning of marriage by their example.
As the world tries to redefine marriage, they will uphold it as God’s idea.
One of my friends said, People say, I’m going to a wedding but I went to a WEDDING!
It was the sweetest thing my friend could have said.
It was a WEDDING.
It was about the bride and groom.
More importantly, it is about the God who instituted marriage and brought them together.
When each of my children had their thirteenth birthday, I gave them a ring.
It was a purity ring for them to wear as a reminder to remain pure until marriage.
It was a reminder of the gift that they were saving for their future spouse.
Along with the ring, I wrote a letter to each of my children.
Each of my children wore their ring from time to time but this daughter wore it every day.
She wanted to have that ring be a part of her wedding some day.
Her husband took the purity ring off her finger and placed it in a lovely box that was on a table.
The pastor read the letter I wrote to my daughter when she was thirteen years old.
Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. (Psalm 34:5)
My daughter, the one I called My Sunshine, was radiant.
She basked in the glow of love for her husband.
She basked in the glow of love for her Lord.
It was such a sweet time.
A young woman waited for the man God brought to her.
A young woman gave the gift of herself to only one man and he to her.
A young man cherished that gift and kept her pure.
The two of them walked out of church, jubilant.
The two of them walked together, as it should be.
The two of them walked into their future.
The two of them walked outside to take a very special picture.
My daughter’s class was invited to take a picture with their teacher and her new husband.
They all stood in front of the old stables where horses and buggies once were.
They stood with the teacher they loved, the one with the new name.
They had witnessed the joining of two lives all for the glory of God.
They may not understand all they witnessed but they will never forget that day.
It is forever in their memory to retrieve later as God brings it to mind.
Their teacher’s love does not end at her wedding.
It is only the beginning.
It is only the beginning.
It looks like it was a wonderful, God-centered wedding. I wish them all God’s greatest blessings!
Sue,
It was a glorious day in every way. It was Christ-centered and worshipful. Thank you for your sweet words and prayers for my daughter and her new husband.
Gina