The rest of summer...

The rest of summer included a wedding - a wedding where I chose this picture of in case they don't want to be featured on my blog....but it was such an amazing day!  We came home from our adventure in Cypress Hills to attend the wedding of a young couple at our church.  The bride is one of those people that you just know are going to be in your remembrance forever...know what I mean?  People who affect you and that you care about for some un-pinned down reason.  I mean, she loves my oldest daughter and acted as a unofficial mentor to her for a number of months last year, so that probably helps, but it started even before that.

I don't really know I guess, maybe it was just because she is the first born and so am I, or because she has one of those sense of humours that surprise you when you begin to learn that it is there, or maybe it's that she always has a smile that can cheer you - or maybe it is simply our shared relationship with the Lord Jesus that makes you feel like family...I don't really know, but I do know that I adore her, and have since I was introduced to her.  And then there is her fiance (I guess it is currently her husband)...now, I don't know him terribly well, but what I do know is important.  I had the privilege of serving on the worship team when he was leading one week - and let me tell you, he has an amazing passion for leading worship - he wants to be a part of people worshiping, he wants to lead them to the very throne room of God to worship in His presence - he literally radiates with it, and he has an amazing commitment to quality at the same time. I even remarked to my husband about it - about how he was so young, but so on fire for worship...it was humbling, and I thought about it for a long time.  Then he goes and proposes to one of my favorite ladies...what an amazing thing to witness.  

See, I have this hope.  This vision.  This desire.  This ache for my daughters to grow up to be young women like her, and for them to be courted and marry a man like him (at least what I know of them).  I want my girls to be women of grace, and I want the men who will pursue them to be men of God.  Real men, men completely unlike Mark Driscoll talks about in this sermon.

And I know that requires us to teach them how to be that.  How to be women of grace, and accept no less than a man of God.  It is a hope for sure...and one that I am glad God cares about as much (or more) than I do, because this, like so many other parenting tasks seems mostly overwhelming.  And largely impossible on my own!  Good thing we are not in this alone!

See, I do know that this couple is not perfect, just as I am not perfect.  But they are having a much better start at their young married life than I did, and they are doing things in a much better fashion.  Making better decisions, following closely after this God that I didn't even meet until I was their age - and by that time I had already made a world of bad decisions!  I guess it should all drive me to my knees, knowing that only with help am I going to be able to show my girls that they are VALUABLE, that they have incredible worth, that they are to be CHERISHED!  Side note - that was my favorite part of all three weddings we were able to attend at our church this summer, the sheer look of joy on the faces of the young men waiting at the end of the aisle for each of the beautiful brides. And to think our heavenly groom awaits us with as much anticipation as that!  Crazy!

Anyway, it took me a long time (weeks actually) to decide whether or not to post this post, and whether or not to post the link, and so I am going to end this one here and post the rest of our summer pictures in another one!

Blessings!