Annie & Chris

This weekend our long time 'go to' sitter and former part-time nanny, Annie, is getting married. The children are serving in the wedding, so we will have a busy weekend of festivities, beginning with the rehearsal and dinner tomorrow night. I am not sure if the format will allow for toasts...and even if it does I am not sure if the attention span of my children will allow for us to actually hear them. I decided to sit down and record my thoughts for the happy couple tonight.

Annie & Chris,
There has been a lot written about love and marriage over the years, but my favorite image is one I heard as a single person wondering how I would ever 'know' when the right guy came along. I was told that life is a marathon. If you are a Christian, you are to run with your eyes focused straight ahead at the cross. We are to run as hard as we can towards that holy goal and one day when you hear footsteps running next to you, reach out, grab hands with that person and run the remainder of the race together. I LOVE that image.

I hope that you will always remember that you are God's perfectly imperfect gifts to one another. Your days were all written in His book before the Earth came to be...including the day you met, your wedding day and the future you have together. While you will certainly experience growing pains and you learn to live, love and serve together, I pray you will always remember that God chose you for one another for a reason. Don't try to 'fix' each other--let God do that. Instead, look for ways to love one another well. Strive to bring out the best in one another, not the worst...and always remember that you are on the SAME team.

So much time and energy has been spent planning the perfect wedding ceremony. When the flowers are wilted and the dress is packed away what will remain is what really matters...your marriage. I pray your expectations will be realistic and that you will trust one another's motives. When times get hard, remember the way you felt today and the vows you made to see it through. Seek God's guidance on how to glorify Him through your marriage. What a nonstop opportunity it is to practice selflessness, grace, forgiveness and unconditional love!

Although my own wedding was 7 years ago, I still remember the absolute peace and security I felt when I woke up the morning after the wedding and realized that my best friend had committed to spend the rest of his life with me. He wasn't going anywhere. Live in that commitment. A good marriage is absolutely worth fighting for.

Annie, you have loved and served our family cheerfully and unselfishly. I have watched as you have loved Chris the same way. Focus on Christ first, make Him the head of your family and there will be bushels of blessings in the many years to come.

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up.But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. Ecclesaistes 4:9-12