My future son-in-law...

Collish.
  ... At least, I guess that's how you spell his name. Courtney has been talking about him for a while now. She says she's going to marry him. She's never met the boy, but that's what she calls him. Even this morning she came into the kitchen, gave me a hug and told me in a sing-song, dreamy, Disney Princess voice that one day a boy named Collish was going to come to her house and they were going to "get married together." She loves the thought of marriage. To my little princess, there is nothing more beautiful than her mama's wedding dress. She loves looking at our photos and asking me about that special day when her Daddy and I stood at the altar and promised God that we'd love and take care of each other for the rest of our lives... and then we did something really cool: we gave each other JEWELRY!! A little girl's dream come true!

  One might be puzzled about her obsession with marriage. (Then again, at three years old, isn't everything an obsession?) I'd like to look at it another way. Perhaps the cry in her heart is one that we all have. A cry placed in us by our God. Not to get married, per se, but to be unified in intimacy with our God. (I'm talking relational & emotional, not  the "physical intimacy" we normally associate with marriage).  The Bible calls the Church the "Bride of Christ". In Matthew 9:15, Jesus refers to Himself as the Bridegroom. In John 3:28-29, John the Baptist used the Bride and Bridegroom as a reference for his mandate to prepare the way for Christ. And of course, among many other references of marriage and our relationship to Christ, we find these words in Revelation 19:6-9:

Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

  I still don't fully understand what being a part of the Bride of Christ means. I simply know that God loves me. He cherishes me and delights in me as a bridegroom delights in his bride. I believe that godly marriage has more to do with revelation than procreation. Yes, marriage was meant to create a safe environment in which to bear and raise our children, and I believe wholeheartedly in the institution of marriage. But I have also gleaned so much from my marriage to Keith that has taught me about my relationship with God. Here are just a few:

• My relationship with God is unlike my relationship with anyone else. It's special and I must protect and nurture it first and foremost. I'm not always very good at this, but God is forever faithful. One of my favorite books of the Bible is Hosea, because it speaks so powerfully of God's love and desire for His people, even as they chase after other "gods", whether they be actual idols or things like money, power and vanity.

• God knows me better than anyone else on this earth- even better than I know myself. When I trust the One who knows me best, I can enjoy and reciprocate complete honesty and sincere devotion. I don't have to explain myself because God "gets me" like no one else. My husband is my best friend- and he "gets me". I can say one word and he hears the entire sentence I was thinking (most of the time, haha)... how much moreso it is with my Creator!

• The One who loves me most is my Christ. He is also the One who offers me the most sincere, life-giving correction I could ask for. So often I don't see the things that hold me back or hurt me. But God loves me enough to let me know what I should change; and He does this in a loving and tender way... and then He helps me change it!

  There are countless other parallels that I've found beween my marriage and my relationship with God. I have been blessed to have a godly husband who loves me "as Christ loves the church" (Ephesians 5:25 and Colossians 3:19). Our marriage is not perfect, but it's beautiful. We learn from our mistakes and move on. Sometimes I wonder if that's part of Courtney's obsession with marriage: seeing how Keith and I relate to each other? If so, I take that as a high compliment and thank God.

  I am sure several factors are at work here, but one thing is for sure: She is convinced that she will marry a boy named Collish. In fact, she was talking about him just the other day while playing...

 "Mama, I think Collish would like this star."

 [Remembering that Collish is her "future husband" from past conversations]

"Oh really? And who is Collish?"

"Um, he's nobody."

  I wish I had a picture of her face when she said that. It was the classic deer-caught-in-the-headlights look that teenagers get when you say "who was that cute boy you were talking to?" or something along those lines, haha!

  So here's to my future son-in-law. God bless you, "Collish". :) And my prayer today is that my children will realize the love God has for them as the Lover of their Souls. May they find true revelation of God through the paradigm of marriage- whether it be their own (one day) or those that they witness through family and friends; but especially as revealed in the Scriptures.