If you’re reading this, chances are you are not married.
Make a mental note right now: Invite me to your wedding.
If necessary, provide airfare and accommodations. I am not good at a lot of things but going to weddings and making them fun is one of the blessings our great God has bestowed upon me. I will eat your food. I will dance with your women. I will bust so many moves I’ll have your grandma breaking a sweat from the old folks table in the back.
I just love everything about a good wedding reception. Frankly, in the past, I looked at the actual ceremony as paying my dues so that I can qualify to party with your friends and family for a few hours afterwards. I like the ceremony to be short, sweet, and to the point. Essentially, “Let’s just get this over with” because I’ve got a cheese and meat tray to attend to.
I know what you’re thinking and yes, I am a very classy guy.
I was one of the fortunate people in attendance recently on a sunny Saturday afternoon for the marriage of SingleRoots’ own Ryan and a gal formerly known as Kori Rainey. In terms of minutes, it was the longest wedding ceremony I have ever been to. It also touched me more than any ceremony of its kind ever has.
The bride and groom each wrote their own vows, and I listened as they not only proclaimed their love for each other but did so with the Kingdom of Heaven in mind. They each indicated, without prompting from the other, their passion for starting a new life with their spouse that would consist of doing great things for the Kingdom. Had I heard the same vows five years ago, I probably would have rolled my eyes and glanced at my watch. But this time it struck me how beautiful and how vital that is—to have a heart for the Kingdom.
I met Ryan in January of 2011 when I was serving as a greeter and he came walking through the doors of our church. Typically, I just say hello to everyone but I felt an urge to talk to him. He would eventually begin to attend our singles group and meet Kori. I like to remind him that he owes me everything since without me he those things might not have happened. He and I both know that’s not true and God had a plan much bigger than me, but that doesn’t stop me from giving him a hard time anyway.
The Lord has shown me how my simple act of obedience to greet people as they entered the church has been a blessing to me and others. I have had the desire to blog for a very long time and because Ryan started SingleRoots, I’ve been given the opportunity to reach people through written word that I never would have otherwise. Kori and Ryan are beginning a life together that I believe will be characterized by the lives God uses them to touch for the Kingdom. Simply because I chose to give of my time, I am blessed to say I was given the opportunity to be a small part of their story.
It’s tempting to minimize the work we do for our local church and ministry. Ushering people to their seat or teaching a Sunday school class of kids that won’t remember your name in ten years can easily seem trivial. There will be day that we will stand before God and I believe He will ask us two questions:
“Do you know my Son?”
and
“What have you done with the gifts I have given you?”
Our time and our talents are bestowed upon us for one central purpose – weapons for the glory of God in order to grow His Kingdom. In donating those gifts to creating a healthy, functioning church, nothing we do is small or trivial. It all works together for His purpose.
What we find many times is the impact that is created even years later is not a product of the programs we were distributing at the door or the cars we were directing in the parking lot but the lives that God was able to connect us to in the process.
*Photo credit: O En
