A Wedding To Remember

Let me preface this with saying I am not one to usually write about how awesome a wedding was, but the one I went to this weekend is an exception. It was not so much how "beautiful" the wedding was, but more what message the people involved in the wedding sent out. It was not even a message they directly gave at the wedding, but more like a reflection of how the lives of the two families involved reflected Christ.

I went to this wedding b/c Cindy was a bridesmade. I was actually looking forward to it somewhat basically b/c it involved Dennis Rainey's family (Family Life). His daughter Rebecca married a guy named Jacob Mutz. (You will probably read about in one of the upcoming Dem-Gaz Sunday profiles). There were a total of 18 children from both families (6 from the Rainey's, 12 from the Mutz) and almost all of them were in the wedding. I believe between all the grandparents and parents there was a combined 272 years of marriage preceding the two involved. What a legacy!

What I took home from this wedding was from the parents involved. Both sets of parents set a Godly standard at home. The parents honored God, honored each other, and taught their kids to do the same. They set a high standard but did it to Glorify God and now they have children who are doing the same. It sounds crazy to think of having 12 children, but it was amazing to see how much these kids loved each other. Both couples read something they had written out to honor their parents, something I have never seen done before. It was touching (can I say that?).

I left this wedding feeling as if I had a standard set before me by the way these parents have loved God and taught their kids to do the same. I feel as if I ought to write Dr. Rainey and the Mutz' and tell them "thank you" for being such awesome examples of what it means to live out a Godly life as a couple and raising a family to do the same. I felt honored to be able to be present at the wedding this weekend.

Psalm 127:3-5 says,
"3 Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
children a reward from him.

4 Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
are sons born in one's youth.

5 Blessed is the man
whose quiver is full of them.
They will not be put to shame
when they contend with their enemies in the gate."

After seeing two families with such awesome character with what is considered a large number of children, I had to ask myself "why do most Americans, particularly Christians, only have 2-3 children? If it is a blessing from the Lord, why don't we have more arrows in the quiver?" I am not married and don't have any children, so I can't really answer this yet, but it seems if more families like these two had a lot of children, a lot of good will come out of it to glorify God. Just a thought.

By the way, I got to see Cindy looking good in her brides maid dress as well. My parents and her parents met for the first time, which we both thought went really well. All in all, it was a good weekend. I was out $10 bucks b/c Suzie decided to tear a few things up in the Marlin's back yard, but they didn't seem too upset.