Make me to know thy way...

 

We regularly sing a song at church. The lyrics of one of the verses goes...

Because I trust in thee, O cause thou me to hear

They loving-kindness free when morning doth appear

Make me to know thy way wherein my path should be

Because my soul each day do I lift up to thee

I close my eyes I see His majesty

I close my eyes and feel His love for me.

The song talks about our need to listen to God in order to understand what He would have us do. The third line, "Make me to know thy way wherein my path should be" caused me to think about some things.

Can I honestly say that I want to know what God thinks my path should be?  Or am I just looking for a God who makes me feel good... One that sees to it that I never have a bad hair day, that I usually get the best parking space, and that nothing bad ever happens to me or those I love while the rest of the time basically leaves me alone. Is that how I see God?

We live in a time where we can been made to feel unloving if we venture to say that something is not as God would have it be. To many, the umbrella that covers it all is love. Many have the mindset that a loving God doesn't condemn, doesn't judge, doesn't say anything to cause another to feel uncomfortable.

It is true that I don't want to be offensive in what I say. I don't want to hurt anyone's feelings. Those traits in our lives can run people off from us and the very thing we're trying to teach them. But while those can all be admirable goals to strive for, it may have reached the point where we are taking it to the extreme. We no longer consider what God has to say about matters in general unless it fits into the kind of God that we want to have. We want a loving, caring, feel-good God who turns a blind eye to whatever we choose to participate in.  We want to make it okay for folks to live however and be whatever.

Let's think about this for just a minute.  If I have a problem with lying, my believing that lying isn't wrong doesn't make that true. It still is considered a sin by the Creator.  It still is an act that needs to be turned away from. The Creator has the right to set the rules for His creation. That doesn't make me a terrible person for lying, that makes me human. But upon learning that, it should cause me to do my best to turn away from that, if I want to please God. That is a distinguishing characteristic of one who is a child of God. When I know better, I do better.

 Yes, God is a loving God. His love for us is hard to comprehend. Just stop for a minute and recall his ultimate act of love.  It is unimaginable! But that same loving God is holy and he tells us to be holy so we can have a relationship with Him.  You see a holy God and sin just don't mix. To believe otherwise is only believing a lie.

It gives me great pleasure...

The long weekend has been full of emotions only matched by the continual realization of the awesomeness of our great God and thankfulness for His love, His goodness and His mercy. As a dear friend said, Tim and I joined a somewhat odd club giving away a daughter this weekend...a perfectly good daughter at that! We not only gave her away but had clothed and fed her for years, had her formally educated and actually paid to hand her over to a young man with no exchange of funds! And we are so grateful for every step of that process.

Tim and I were somewhat teary, off and on. To those of you who know us, not a big surprise, huh? Not tears in a sad way though but I think it's just difficult not to be. I told someone that the emotion level is so high from every corner. They come like waves of the ocean that overwhelm at times causing our hearts to almost burst wide open with happiness. At the same time, they cause us to think about the seriousness of what is about to happen as well as relive in our minds the past years that have led up to this point in life. Yes, overwhelming is an accurate way to describe it.

The day was practically perfect in every way. The rains did come but the staff at Mt. View Gardens and Ballroom were incredibly accommodative, drying off 200 chairs after it rained 30 min. or so before time for the ceremony to begin.  The wedding party came in, many of the girls having been friends their entire life.

Tim walked KT in ...the last time he would be holding her arm as Katie Smith and gave her
hand to Jarred, the one who has promised to love and protect her, as Christ does His church. If you've been there, you know how that feels.  If you've not, there's no describing it.

Promises were exchanged and  "I Dos" were said with emotion-filled voices and love-filled hearts.

Even though my friend has a valid point in our being members of a somewhat odd club now, I like to think of our role in the event as one of support, not one of giving away.  In my mind, it's easier that way. As a matter of fact, Elijah Aaron, the minister, asked, "Who supports the marriage of these two?"

On June 28, 2013,  Katie and Jarred recognized and celebrated the promises that they had already made to each other. They did that in front of many people who love them.  Tim  and I are so thankful to our family and friends who shared it all with us and to our God. I am confident that it is because of Him that they are where they are this day and am also sure that He smiled on it all.

So, without further delay, let me proudly introduce to you, Mr. And Mrs. Jarred McCrary!