Wedded Bliss
"It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."
~ Theodore Rossevelt, "Citizenship in a Republic," speech at the Sorbonne, Paris, April 23, 1910
My brother was married this weekend.
In his toast, my brother's best man offered the above quote, and because it SO defines my brother, I ruminated on it for the reminder of the evening and on into today.
His wedding, as I expected, deeply moved me and was one of the most honorable and touching experiences I have ever been a part of. I adore my brother. I love his new wife. To stand with them in celebrating their new marriage was part inspiration, part melancholy, part sheer joy, and part awe at being a witness to the divinely intricate choreography of the Lord. God is at work in the heart, mind, and hearts of my brother and his new bride. They have embraced God and allowed Him to fully reign in the direction they are meant to pursue. Allowing themselves to be led by God and to focus only on that which has eternal consequence has meant for them, deep sacrifices, leaps of utter faith, and courageous choices that the secular world might find difficult to wrap their minds around. But that is what living in God's arena is about: living with our entire selves focused on that which is eternal, not merely what catches our immediate fancy and fulfills our here-and-now desires.
The celebration of their marriage was, for me, also a celebration of God's amplification of his purpose in their lives. It is inexplicably blissful when two souls unite with the Lord at the helm, authentic love at the heart, the wind at their backs, and the horizon of their future beckoning.
I love you, Jack and Aubrey. May the Lord continue to bless and keep you.
...and may you be FRUITFUL and MULTIPLY. *grin*
posted by lachen at 9:07 PM
6 Comments:
that was sweet and true. God bless you J and A with love, peace, joy and many toeheaed little monkies to smoootch that will love and serve God wholeheartedly as well.
Lachen....I wondered where you were. I am sure you and Copper had fun...I expect picures.
Glad to hear the wedding went perfectly beautiful. Bless them both & their union. Hope they multiply soon ;) lol
That was so sweet. Withing J and A all the happiness they can get.
Hello Lachen-I appreciated reading your post on the prayer written by Mother Teresa, and on my website linked over here so that others could be blessed by it also-and I just pointed them back over here for your "Ode to Code" which is charming! Please have a good day, and continued blessings from God.
Congratulations J&A go with God and he will go with you :O)
welcome nunya~ and thank you so much for your kind words about my dear brother's wedding. I have such high hopes and joy for his future with his new bride, which is simply brimming over with abundance. Welcome and feel free to make yourself at home here with my blog family.
And thanks so much to all of you for wishing them well and joining my chorus of love and hopes for eventual cousins for my kids. :)
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