Lost Children

Today marks Sarah and my third wedding anniversary. The past three years have been an amazing journey. I am so blessed and honored to do life with Sarah. She has been a picture of the grace of God in my life and a testimony of what the bride of Christ should look like. Over the last three years, I have learned that I need to be more like her. I love her so much. In our short time together, we have faced many challenges. God is faithful, and has seen us through each one. This week in particular I am reminded of one of those challenges. It happened shortly before our first anniversary.

Since the days that Sarah and I dated, we always discussed having a family. We couldn’t wait for the day we would become parents. We decided to wait about a year before starting our family. Toward the end of January 2009, we received spectacular news. Sarah was pregnant. I will never forget that day. I came home from work and found Sarah in the bathroom staring at one of seven pregnancy tests she had taken, all positive. I dropped to my knees without saying a word and laid my hands on her belly. I blessed the Lord and thanked Him for this blessing. I remember saying to God that this child was His and that he could have his way with this child. Sarah and I told our parents and they couldn’t have been more excited. We tried our best to keep it a secret from the rest of our church. We wanted to wait a little longer before telling them, but with news like that, who could wait?

The Bride: She's a helpmate

I pray that the bride that God has for my son is a helpmate to him. I pray that she is someone who will be there to help him fulfill all that God has for him, that she help encourage and build him up. God the Father is looking for His Son’s bride to be his helpmate.

When God created Adam He said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” At this point, every man in history has shouted “AMEN”! God then creates Eve out of man rib and presents her as a suitable helpmate for him. A helpmate is someone who aids or assists. God intended for man to have help in his responsibilities, duties and ministry. As the bride of Christ we are to help fulfill His purpose. As his bride we are to advance his cause.

The Bride: She is whole

As I continue to pray for the bride that God has for my son, I pray that she be whole. It is my prayer that she be one within herself, that she be one emotionally and spiritually. For if she is divided within herself, how then will she be able to become one with him? I believe that God the Father is looking for His Son’s bride to be whole.

As Sarah and I were preparing to get married, we went through some extensive pre-marital counseling (something I recommend to all those who are planning to marry). The pastor who facilitated that time is a great man of God (P.S. Pastor Cook- Thank You) and I will never forget one of the first things he said to us in our meetings. He said, “You do not marry someone to feel whole. You need to become whole so that you can present yourself wholly to the other person.” When we are not whole as individuals and we marry, there will always be a portion of ourselves that we never give to our spouse. As the bride of Christ we need to be sure that we present ourselves wholly to him.

Hotdog!

This past week, my wife and I took our son to Disney World for the very first time. Jude loves Mickey Mouse. What little kid doesn’t? Jude’s entire first birthday was Mickey themed. He has Mickey everything. From pajamas, toys, dinner plates, books to clothes, my son is all about the mouse. He watches the cartoons any chance he gets. He has even managed to get his uncles and grandparents to download Mickey apps and T.V. shows to their phones. He even knows all the characters by name. The only thing about this whole Mickey craze is that my son can’t say Mickey Mouse. He calls him “hotdog”. This is because at the end of every clubhouse episode on T.V. Mickey sings the “Hotdog Song”. It’s really quite cute to watch him run around yelling at the top of his lungs, “HOOOOOOTDOOOOOOOG!”

The Bride: She Treasures the Gifts

Last week, I started sharing some of the qualities and characteristics God is looking for in His son's bride. Here are a few more things I believe God is looking for in His Son's bride.

She Treasure's the Gifts
I also pray that my son’s bride would treasure what he does for her. I pray that she would cherish the gifts that he gives her and that she would put them to good use. This too, is what God is looking for in a bride for His Son.