New Beginnings

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold ALL things have become new.” 

Last Thursday on 3 January, 2019, we celebrated the wedding of our fourth daughter.  Such a joyous occasion with family and friends traveling long distances to join us and be witness to a new beginning. My daughter’s wedding was a wonderful reminder that we serve a God of new beginnings. This is the third wedding I have attended as the Mother of the Bride. This was my third time being escorted to the front row to take my seat and wait for that moment everyone is excited for, the first look of the bride to be. As the music begins I watch and take in every step as my husband, the father of the bride walks our girl down the aisle. I know this is an emotional moment for my husband. He has been the spiritual guide and protector of our daughter for 23 years and in a few moments that will change. He will place our daughters hand into the hand of her future husband and relinquish his role as her authority and the guardian of her heart. God knew the importance of the process because He created family. This joining of my daughter to her husband will signify the new beginning of another family being formed. A covenant made before God and all those who were there to witness the event.  With each wedding I am reminded of the powerful words found in 2 Corinthians 5:17, when I surrendered my heart to Christ, accepting His gift of forgiveness, He washed away the old and replaced it with a new heart. The passing of my daughter’s hand into that of her soon to be husband is significant for me. My own father was never a spiritual guide or protector of my heart in my young life. The opportunity to watch another daughter walk down the aisle with her Daddy, allows God to heal more of my own heart. Each time He makes me aware and grateful for the role my husband has had in our daughters lives but most importantly, each time God reminds me of how much He loves me. He gave me eight daughters so He could repeatedly show me this amazing picture of Him as my trustworthy Father. As a new believer in Christ, He became my spiritual guide, protector and guardian of my heart. He took the brokenness of my past, my lack of a father figure in my life and made me new. He has proven Himself faithful to me and with each wedding He reminds me of His amazing grace extended to me when I was a wreck, a sinner, lost and hurting.

Praise God for being a God of new beginnings.

This Saturday our family and friends will gather in our home to celebrate another new beginning. The birth of our third grandchild due to arrive mid-February. We will rejoice with our third daughter as she and her husband wait for the precious gift God is forming in the secret place, intricately woven by His hand. Psalm 139:15-16. We will wait with expectancy because God is good and faithful.

So as we enter another New Year, let us do so with hope, knowing we serve a God of new beginnings. Keep your eyes on the Lord, asking Him to reveal what that new beginning may be in your life. It may not be a wedding or a new baby but He is always longing to draw us closer to Himself, revealing a new thing He wants to do in us and through us.

Photography credits to our amazing photographer Light and Cedar CO!