Reason #487
Tonight I am going to steal words. First time I'm not going to be writing out my own thoughts, rather I'm sharing someone else's. I don't think she'll mind, as she read this out loud to a crowd of people at our wedding. And so these words are a portion of the toast given by my maid of honor, my cousin, one of my best friends, and the girl who is like a sister to me, Lauren.
For those of you who don't know me, I'm Lauren, Brittnye's cousin. Brittnye and I go way back. Like I've know her all of her life, and she's known me all but 11 days of mine. That being said, we've seen each other's ups and downs.
In October 2011, I remember sitting in Brittnye's living room after hearing the unimaginable. For the next several months we cried many, many tears, and we prayed many, many long prayers. We'd meet for dinner every now and then, and we'd speculate, as we often do, why on earth God would send her through this, and what on earth could make this time in her life worth it. In November, Brittnye joined a group of girls for bible study every Saturday morning. In this study, we all wrote down one big prayer that we were praying for, and we eagerly prayed that God would answer that prayer specifically, or that He would do something bigger. Last week, we opened that little box with everyone's prayers, and I grabbed Brittnye's. Her prayer said, "Please God, restore my marriage into something beautiful that brings glory to you." And, oh, how He's received all the glory! Even in her moment of extreme heartache, she prayed that He would receive glory. Time went on, and God healed her heart and made her resemble His image even more than before.
A few months later Brittnye and I met for dinner, mostly because I wanted to hear about this guy named Aaron. As she spilled her guts, she was so giddy. Joy was radiating off her face and she was back talking a million miles an hour! She talked of how, most importantly, Aaron loved the Lord and how much she already felt connected to him. She also said, "we're just going to take it slow and not rush things, so we probably won't put it on Facebook for a while." Not 5 minutes later her phone buzzed. Aaron had just asked to be "in a relationship" with her on Facebook! We laughed so hard as she happily accepted! Since then, Aaron has been the center of many of our conversations. About how kind he is, how good he treats her, and about how smitten she had become in a short amount of time.
Aaron was smitten immediately, too. He was so thrilled that I think all of UMC knew Brittnye's name and knew he was proposing months before he proposed!
So, Aaron, today I want you to know that you are an answer to the prayers of many, many people. And today, you symbolize how God redeems His people and that God has a plan. Just as Ruth received her redeemer, Brittnye has, too. Now that we all know you, we can't imagine life without you in the family. Thank you for loving Brittnye and for serving her like God serves His people. I'm so glad you are apart of her story, and now, I know that Brittnye wouldn't change her story for anything.
She's right, but I think you know that by now. Lauren made a lot of good points. And I love how she, too, praised God for his handiwork. Because that is who is responsible for all of this. He is the one who was so gracious to bring about all of this goodness. And He created such a beautiful new thing. A new creature, a new creation, a new beginning, and after spending a good bit of time in the social security and driver's license offices today, a girl with an official, new name!
#487 - For all of the new things He has created and that He keeps creating!
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy." - Isaiah 65:17-18
For those of you who don't know me, I'm Lauren, Brittnye's cousin. Brittnye and I go way back. Like I've know her all of her life, and she's known me all but 11 days of mine. That being said, we've seen each other's ups and downs.
In October 2011, I remember sitting in Brittnye's living room after hearing the unimaginable. For the next several months we cried many, many tears, and we prayed many, many long prayers. We'd meet for dinner every now and then, and we'd speculate, as we often do, why on earth God would send her through this, and what on earth could make this time in her life worth it. In November, Brittnye joined a group of girls for bible study every Saturday morning. In this study, we all wrote down one big prayer that we were praying for, and we eagerly prayed that God would answer that prayer specifically, or that He would do something bigger. Last week, we opened that little box with everyone's prayers, and I grabbed Brittnye's. Her prayer said, "Please God, restore my marriage into something beautiful that brings glory to you." And, oh, how He's received all the glory! Even in her moment of extreme heartache, she prayed that He would receive glory. Time went on, and God healed her heart and made her resemble His image even more than before.
A few months later Brittnye and I met for dinner, mostly because I wanted to hear about this guy named Aaron. As she spilled her guts, she was so giddy. Joy was radiating off her face and she was back talking a million miles an hour! She talked of how, most importantly, Aaron loved the Lord and how much she already felt connected to him. She also said, "we're just going to take it slow and not rush things, so we probably won't put it on Facebook for a while." Not 5 minutes later her phone buzzed. Aaron had just asked to be "in a relationship" with her on Facebook! We laughed so hard as she happily accepted! Since then, Aaron has been the center of many of our conversations. About how kind he is, how good he treats her, and about how smitten she had become in a short amount of time.
Aaron was smitten immediately, too. He was so thrilled that I think all of UMC knew Brittnye's name and knew he was proposing months before he proposed!
So, Aaron, today I want you to know that you are an answer to the prayers of many, many people. And today, you symbolize how God redeems His people and that God has a plan. Just as Ruth received her redeemer, Brittnye has, too. Now that we all know you, we can't imagine life without you in the family. Thank you for loving Brittnye and for serving her like God serves His people. I'm so glad you are apart of her story, and now, I know that Brittnye wouldn't change her story for anything.
She's right, but I think you know that by now. Lauren made a lot of good points. And I love how she, too, praised God for his handiwork. Because that is who is responsible for all of this. He is the one who was so gracious to bring about all of this goodness. And He created such a beautiful new thing. A new creature, a new creation, a new beginning, and after spending a good bit of time in the social security and driver's license offices today, a girl with an official, new name!
#487 - For all of the new things He has created and that He keeps creating!
“See, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I will create, for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight and its people a joy." - Isaiah 65:17-18
Comments
Post a Comment