Raising a child up to leave home is one of the most glorious, painful oxymorons of life. Parents are handed a soft, sweet-smelling, beautiful creature, perfectly helpless and perfectly captivating. They pour their time, love, energy, tears and prayer into that gift and beg the Lord to protect her, lead her, and give her good gifts in her life.
Then He does. And then with the same fervor and tenacity with which we held on to that beautiful child and our hopes for her, we must let her go. And we must rejoice in doing it, for it is as it should be.
We are given a gift, we invest everything, then we let go. Hard, but right.
We gave our daughter to her husband Saturday. I’ve talked about the process of letting go, but all I’ll say now is that I watched on this transformation of two lives becoming one with perfect peace and a happiness that bubbled over. They shared their hearts with each other, Kyle promising to lay down his life for Bria just as Christ has done for the church, and Bria expressing her gratitude to Kyle for this sacrificial love, already demonstrated, that makes her feel safe enough to give herself to him forever. There was such sweetness and sincerity and I think every guest was awed just a little by it. It was so pure, so purposeful and so perfect. God’s grace.
I thought I would be a puddle of tears and I barely teared up. God was so gracious to give me the gift of sheer enjoyment and rejoicing. I rejoice because my daughter and my son-in-law are pure-hearted followers of Christ. And not much can go wrong from that start.
And truly, all I could think as I watched Bria and Kyle beam at each other is,
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow.”
And I praised Him for this gift to us all and for the gift of His Son, reflected in the glorious institution of marriage.
(I wanted to share a few pics. You can click on an image to enlarge it.)
28 comments
All four of my children are married to godly spouses and there is NO greater joy! Congratulations!
Beautiful, beautiful! I wonder if it’s any different marrying off sons? My daughter says she’ll never leave me, so I don’t have to worry about that, anyway. 😉
Ha! I have wondered how different it will be with sons. Yep, you keep telling yourself that. Right up until her wedding day. (I remember those sweet conversations with Bria. “I’m going to marry Daddy then I don’t have to move away.”)
My daughter says she will live across the street from me. 🙂
Congratulations! the wedding and the newly weds are just beautiful! You got a whole new daily routine without Bria now, don’t you? Life has a thing about giving us new beginnings constantly.
Blessings, 🙂
tereza
Oh yes I do, Tereza. “I can do this.”
[…] a child up to leave home is one of the most glorious, painful oxymorons of life. Parents are handed …read more White Chocolate FudgeCan any man ever forgive my […]
Beautifully written, Kelly.
I thought that I would be so emotional that I’d hardly be able to get through the wedding, but that wasn’t the case at all. The emotion that filled me to overflowing was pure joy! The wedding was like none I’ve ever experienced before, and I know from the conversations I’ve had with others who were there that I’m not just feeling that way because it was my son standing up there! You’ve done such a great job of describing it in this post. Our families are blessed beyond measure. I am so thankful. It’s all grace!
🙂 Yes. Everything.
Beautiful, Kelly! Just beautiful!
Thank you so much for sharing, Kelly!! I’m so thrilled for Bria and Kyle, and you give me such hope and are such an inspiration for me as a first generation believer and child of divorce that it CAN go well with my children as long as we seek first the Kingdom.
Amen, sweet sister.
That is so hope giving! God’s fingerprints are everywhere!
Thanks for sharing the pictures. Lovely!!!
I was hoping you would post pictures 🙂 Wonderful!!!
Had to come sneak a peek — I thought I might find wedding pictures posted. 😉
Loved them all, but you know which one caused me to tear up?
The one with Bria and her three littlest sisters gathering around her. And Mallie laying her head against Bria — just adorable.
Lovely, lovely post, Kelly. Thanks for sharing!
I know–wasn’t that the sweetest???
I can’t imagine a more beautiful bride! Thank you for sharing the pictures! Although I might feel differently in a few years when I’m having to let go of one of my own, I think it’s such a beautiful thing to watch as parents, having raised their child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, cleave their child to a godly spouse to start another godly household. What a blessing Bria will be to her husband and future children because of the work you and your husband have done in raising her! Congratulations!
It certainly is a beautiful thing to watch.
My 8 year old son still wants to marry me!
Congratulations. All what you have poured into Bria will bring fruit for Christ.
Congratulations to Bria, Kyle and both families. I love the photos. You and Bria look like sisters ;-D What a wonderful (and busy) day it must have been. God bless. Hayley.
Congratulations! What a beautiful place for a wedding. Our son was married last spring to a wonderful Godly young lady. It has been a joy to watch two lives becoming one and God being honored!
Thank you for your blog. You are an encouragement to me!
So beautiful….your post, her and the pictures. Congratulations to you all!
Congratulations to everyone! You all have been in my prayers. Glad the day was peaceful for you. The pictures are stunning! Your family is just beautiful!
Oh, to express rightly what I see and hear in this post! You and Bria are such a beautiful picture of mother-daughter friendship. So treasured, I am sure. Congratulations to Bria and Kyle and your whole family. I was fine till I saw the photo of Bria and her father. So very happy for you all! Thanks for sharing their story with your readers so first generation Christians can catch a vision of something different and better than what we learned growing up. Blessed!
Thank you, Claudia. You’re such a gracious one.
Thank you for this lovely reminder of the beauty of marriage as God intended. A wonderful juxtaposition to the coarse, mocking views of marriage in today’s world. I appreciate this example of why I keep “fighting the good fight” for my family. Blessings to all of you!
[…] Her Go I meant to include this on my post about our daughter’s marriage and forgot. I wrote a song for her, played during the entrance of parents and grandparents. If you […]
Beautiful!!!