The Great Reveal

Proverbs 5:18 Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth

We have been praying for you for many years. We have often wondered where you lived? Who were your parents, siblings, and grandparents? Who were your friends and what activities did you enjoy? Did you play tennis, soccer or did you like to water ski or snow ski? We prayed for your family that raised you and for your friends and for your protection. We prayed that you would come to know the Lord at an early age and be growing in your faith. For the Lord is raising up a child in another home that will someday be the perfect mate of our own child. You are another daughter or son that will someday complete our family and grow the next generation.

On a ski trip with friends in Utah, our firstborn son, Drew, proposed to Sydney. They met at Auburn University and have dated for 5 years. This past weekend we had the opportunity to meet the extended family. We had so much catching up to do! I was so excited to see the home Sydney grew up in, to stay at her grandmother, Nana’s, home and look through all the family pictures. It was “the great reveal,” revealing the life of this little one who was raised in a small town in Georgia among a loving family. We were welcomed by her entire family including her aunts, uncles, cousins and extended family members. We ate at their favorite restaurant and saw the high school where she played on the tennis courts and photos dressed in Roaring 20’s for the Great Gatsby. Nana showed us the land where she and her husband Russell lived, the church they were part of founding, and provided the back story to all the family photos. I saw the photos and heard the stories of their trips in the RV with she and Russell, their Disney cruise together, a ski trip in Colorado, the Auburn football games with painted faces, and many more memories. We saw the pictures of her father Mark’s many dad and daughter dances as Sydney grew up. We heard about weekends at the lake and got to meet and hear stories of time with her cousin, Keely, who was like a sister.

What a joy and blessing it was to see, hear and experience the life that the Lord was preparing all along. “The great reveal.” The Lord answered our prayers. May we all continue to pray for the next generation that the Lord will guard, protect, and prepare to proclaim His goodness and His Name.

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