This is Happening!

In just a few short days, these two will become one.

Several times in recent days I have been asked this question: "Is it hard to give your daughter away in marriage?" And my answer has been a somewhat tender but resounding "No!"

I go on to explain my answer in this way: When the mother and father of the bride-to-be have prayed from their daughter's earliest days that God would prepare for her a gift of a partner in life and ministry... when mom and dad see a sparkle in those blue eyes that few can elicit... when we recognize that a young man cares for our daughter as deeply as we do... when we are convinced that all that is transpiring is ordained by God... there is no reservation in giving our Jaimee away in marriage. Indeed, these days are joy-filled as we anticipate the celebration to come.

So yes - the marriage license is secured. The family is gathering in this city called The Big Easy. And answering the question asked at so many traditional weddings - "Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" - is a "big easy" for me. We believe God has been and continues to be at work in drawing these two together - and we agree together with Him and with Jaimee and Travis in celebrating this mystery of two becoming one.

It helps, of course, when we love these young men our daughters fall in love with. Four-and-a-half years ago, when a young man asked Jaimee's little sis Lindsey to marry him, we knew we were not losing a daughter but gaining a son who has proven to be a wonderful blessing. When we met Travis, we recognized that God was at work, doing it again: expanding and enriching our family with another young man we could love as though he was our own. God has richly blessed us - again! We are more thankful than we could ever express.

So this is really happening! The celebration begins in earnest tomorrow. We will smile. We will laugh. We will eat. (Oh, how we will eat - because that's what you do when gathering in this city that offers what is, in my humble opinion, the best cuisine on the planet.) But underlying the intersection and intertwining of families... more delightful than any culinary offering we enjoy... will be a sense of wonder that underlies our celebration. Because in this union, we can't help but realize we are seeing the very heart and hand of God at work.

For a long time, the ringtone in my phone for Jaimee was the chorus of a song entitled Fingerprints of God. The lyrics to that chorus say, "I can see the fingerprints of God when I look at you / I can see the fingerprints of God and I know it's true / You're a masterpiece that all creation quietly applauds / And you're covered with the fingerprints of God." There is tremendous irony in this. I had no idea when I chose this song as a reminder of the gift Jaimee was to me every time she called that she would one day be partnered in ministry with the artist who penned and recorded those very words. But I digress... The point is this: As we watch Jaimee's and Travis' future unfolding before our eyes... if we look closely... we can see the fingerprints of God etched in all of this. This is too marvelous for words.

So YES - this is really happening. YES, we affirm what is happening with everything in us. Is it hard to give our daughter away to this man who is to become her husband? The answer is a that somewhat tender but resounding "NO" offered to those who have asked. With great joy and without reservation we stand amazed at how perfectly our God works, and can't wait to witness Travis and Jaimee saying YES to one another. And we can't wait to see how God moves as they continue to say YES to Him.

Let's do this!