Beneath My Heart

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Wednesdays with Wanda

It’s “Wedding Week” here at Beneath My Heart. :)

My beautiful niece, Courtney, got married this past weekend!

Since our lives have been consumed with her wedding the past few months, I thought I would share with you how my mom has influenced my thoughts about and expectations of marriage.

First of all, she taught me that marriage can be tough. It’s not always easy for the “two to become one.” It doesn’t happen overnight, but takes years for a marriage to become all that God intends for it to be.

Secondly, she taught me to pray for my spouse. As a young girl, I remember my mom praying for my dad. Though they had a wonderful marriage, there were years that God was not always the center of their marriage. But Mom prayed and prayed that God would bring both her and Dad closer to Him and closer to each other.

I remember a time in particular when I was a teenager. My mom and I were sitting on my bedroom floor and talking about marriage. She encouraged me to date young men who had a heart for Christ. She told me not to date someone who didn’t believe the same way I did because I could still easily fall in love with that person.

Marriage is hard enough. But to start a marriage with someone who doesn’t have the same faith as me would be even harder.

I remember holding hands with her in my bedroom floor as she prayed for my future husband. And then I listened as she prayed for Dad and her own marriage to be all that God intended it to be.

I will never forget that day.

She taught me the importance of prayer.

She taught me the value of persistent prayer. God answered her faithful prayers.

I had the joy of witnessing first hand my parents’ marriage becoming all that God intended it to be.

Over the past ten years…

I saw them attend church together every Sunday.

I saw them sitting at the kitchen table studying their Sunday School lesson together.

I saw them attend church concerts, plays, and fellowships together.

I saw them hold hands in prayer together.

And I saw them dance their last dance together in the kitchen to their favorite Christian song.

God heard her prayers.

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Mom also taught me to wait.

She told me not to settle for less than GOD’S BEST for my life.

I was 26 years old when I got married. (It sounded old then, but not so much now!) :)

I was blessed to have dated some amazing Godly men. But not the ONE that God had chosen for me.

There were many times I wondered if I would ever find my Prince Charming. (Mom would always sing to me, “Someday your Prince will come…” from Cinderella.)

But I kept praying and waiting for God’s best.

And God heard my prayers.

And ladies, he was worth the wait!