I always warn the bride and groom in the weddings I perform that something is going to go wrong during the ceremony. They have two choices on how to handle it: they can get irritated and let it ruin their special day, or they can enjoy it, knowing they will laugh about it in the future. This is very difficult for some people, because they want the "perfect wedding." They go to great lengths to plan and ensure there are no problems during the ceremony. But one of the "high-risk areas for unplanned activities" centers on the children in the wedding party. Children tend to be very unpredictable - especially young children.
We traveled down to Missouri this past weekend to see my nephew get married. They were married in a small rural town in a beautiful brick church built in1913 (according to the cornerstone). The church is full of oak woodwork, hardwood floors, oak pews, stained glass windows - a fantastic setting for a wedding! The ceremony was pretty normal, but as I noted above, there is always something that doesn't go according to plan.
Knowing the history of little children in weddings, I watched the flower girl and ring bearer with great interest. The flower girl did a great job. She walked up the aisle with the ring bearer without any hesitation. It was really cute when she stopped to pick up a rose petal that had fallen out of her basket! Everyone smiled at her as she stooped to pick it up.
The ring bearer, however, was a typical 3 year-old boy. He was doing fine until he made it up to the front of the church. But there was no way he was going to quietly stand up there during the entire ceremony! Little boys are designed to be in a constant state of motion, and this little guy was no exception. Within a few minutes of arriving at the front of the church, he "escaped" and began stomping on those beautiful hardwood floors - which created a really nice echo throughout the church. The bride hesitated at the back of the church to allow them time to corral him, but it didn't work. Once the boy realized everyone was watching him, it was time to put on a show! He stomped, he circled the wedding party, he ran back and forth, he jumped around, he even threw his little ring pillow into the air. He did everything except what he was supposed to do - stand quietly and look cute. His dad finally nabbed him shortly after the bride was delivered to the groom and he was very quiet from that moment on.
Wouldn't it be great if we applied my pastoral wedding advice to all areas of our life? We know everything in our lives is not going to proceed according to our plans. Philippians 4:4 says, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!" That little word, "always," includes the bad times as well as the good. How we react in bad times is dependent on our attitude before difficulties hit. We know we can rejoice in all things because God promised us in Hebrews 13:5, "I will never leave you or forsake you." Isn't that a reason to rejoice in bad times? We know that the God that created the universe is going to carry us through those difficult times. Let's always learn to lean upon Him and we will be able to always rejoice!
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