In
a flurry of white and bountiful blooms, our son and his new wife were married
this past week. It was a relatively small gathering with family and a few of
our son’s and his wife’s friends, but an occasion of such joy, we thought we
might just float away. And even the rain which had threatened for hours held
off giving us an evening of undampened celebration.
As
always at weddings, I came away wishing I had more time with everyone. I wanted
to speak more with my sister and her family whom I don’t see very often and the
sisters of my new daughter-in-law’s mother. I’m sure we would have found much
in common. I longed to spend more time with my son’s friends, several of which
I have known since he was in high school.
But
the moments ticked away, leaving us hoping for another time.
C.S.
Lewis once said, “The fact that our heart yearns for something Earth can’t
supply is proof that Heaven must be our home.”
I
long for more time with those I love, but one day, time will give way to
endless joy in God’s presence and the company of all those who love Him. And
every time I attend a wedding and especially this one, I remember this.
The
apostle Paul repeated words from Isaiah, “No one’s ever seen or heard anything
like this. Never so much as imagined anything quite like it—What God has
arranged for those who love him.” (I Corinthians 2:9 The Message).
But
ah, the wonder of trying to imagine.
For
now, I remember the words of Isaac Watts, credited with writing what many
believe the finest words in English hymnody, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.”
He once wrote in another hymn “The hill of Zion yields a thousand sacred sweets
before we reach the heavenly fields.” I lived out this truth of the “thousand
sacred sweets” at our family wedding. We treasure the minutes and hours together,
and we lift our hearts in hope to all that God has prepared.
Praying
many years of joy together for our sweet couple.