Wednesday, September 23, 2009

The Love of Christ


































God works in mysterious ways. From the beginning of Lauren's wedding plans she asked her Dad and I if she could have Savannah (her neice) and Nathaniel (her first cousin's son) in the wedding. We explained to Lauren they may not cooperate, because they would only be 2 years old at the time of the wedding. We told her she needed to be okay with whatever happened, if she asked them. She immediately said she did not care what they did or did not do. She wanted them to be in her wedding.

To give a little back ground: Most of you know we have a blended family. My husband's first wife died, after a battle with cancer, leaving him with two teenage daughters. Savannah is my oldest son, Seth's daughter. Nathaniel's grandmother is my husband's first wife's sister. Hopefully, this helps and does not confuse you further.

With blended families there can be stress. Doug and I have tried desperately to facilitate a healthy relationship with his first wife's family and the girls. Thankfully, blending our children was the easy part. My three sons and Doug's two daughters are very close. We are forever thankful GOD blended our children with a strong bond of love.

Savannah and Nathaniel had never met. Savannah lives in Richmond, Virginia and Nathaniel lives in Vermont.

Savannah and Nathaniel had an "instant" bond with one another. We were amazed as they hugged and kissed each other. They sat and talked to one another like old friends who had not seen each other in a long while.

When the time came for our precious little ones to journey down the isle of the church, they took each others hands and off they went. Half way down the isle Nathaniel got a couple of steps ahead of Savannah and she tripped on her dress falling face forward onto her belly. She did not let go of Nathaniel's hand and he fell, too. They giggled, got back up, clasped hands and finished their journey down the isle. As they reached the front, Nathaniel said, "Do you want to sit?" and Savannah replied, "Yes." They each climbed onto the front pew and sat down. There were several other precious moments shared between Savannah and Nathaniel before each came to sit with their grandparents in different pews.

Savannah and Nathaniel were examples of the love of Christ to each and every person in their presence. They shared an unconditional love with each other. I am confident the heavens rejoiced as they witnessed our precious little ones reveal Christ to all who were in their midst.

Amazed by HIS grace,

Andrea

44 comments:

Cynthia said...

What a precious post Andrea...thank you for being alert to seeing God in your every day...the photos are gorgeous too...and congrats on the wedding!

Sarah said...

Such a sweet reminder of God's love and grace when we fall walking on the path He has set before us. He stand with us, picks us up, and asks us if we want to just sit with Him for a bit.

Blessings sweet one,
Sarah Dawn

COUNTRY MOM said...

Andrea, I am so glad the wedding went great. Beautiful pictures. Blessings,

Formerly known as Frau said...

beautiful story...they are precious!

Jennsmere said...

Hi Andrea....such an absolutely precious post! Those pictures are just the sweetest I can imagine! So glad that the wedding had such wonderful moments for you all!!! Isn't God good?!?

Bless you, sweetie,
Susan

RCUBEs said...

They're both adorable! That's why God wants us to have that childlike faith...No hypocrisy...but just unconditional love to be shared...though they haven't known each other before. That's an inspiring story by itself. Thank you for sharing. God bless you sister and love you in Christ.

Nikki (Sarah) said...

HI Andrea, they are too cute. And I love what you wrote about them.

Me said...

I'm relieved that it went well for you as yes, blended families are amazingly and horrifyingly stressful.

Those little ones are just too precious for words! It takes me back. The little boy looks now like my Max looked at that age.

Ina in Alaska said...

What a lovely story! Andrea you and I have something in common! We each married a widower. Mine came with 5 children and I never had any (never wanted children, go figure) Congratulations on a lovely wedding and many blessings to you and your family.....

I say with love that I did find the words in your post hard to see over the background... just a suggestion... xoxo

SQUELLY said...

So beautiful! and those pictures- you can see the love coming through. You can understand why such a clear ray of God's light shines through children when you look at them.

Congrats to Lauren!

Diane said...

How beautiful! What gentle spirits they already have. :O)

Sheryl said...

The little ones make such a cute picture. They're just precious.

Loren said...

HOW VERY PRECIOUS......just another gift from the LORD on this beautiful day! Their friendship is soo sweet and shows in their pictures :)
By the way I have a gift for you at my blog....come visit and see :)

Love you dear friend

Jeanette Levellie said...

Oh, Andrea, I got goosebumps and tears as read this story. This one will be passed down through your family for many years, I'm sure.
And what a lovely analogy you drew from it.
Kids are so precious and wonderful.

Gaia said...

The pure love that surrounds innocent hearts makes you feel heaven is close. Sometimes the ugliness of adulthood simply ruins what little love there is. I want that pure heart back too.
Blessings.

vanilla said...

Beautiful.
--and Blessings to you this day.

Sandi@ Rose Chintz Cottage said...

Hi Andrea,
What a sweet story! I love the innocence of babies! Your blog looks wonderful. Have a lovely day.

Blessings,
Sandi

Heart2Heart said...

Andrea,

Just another sign from God that He has everything in control that day.

Love and Hugs ~ Kat

Billy Coffey said...

What a great story. Two people holding hands can still trip and fall, but as long as they get up giggling, all is well!

Anonymous said...

Makes me get teary with the sweetness...
How precious!

Christina said...

Beautiful children! Beautiful Pictures!

I just wanted to come over and visit and let you know that your comment on my last post actually made me cry! You always leave such loving comments and although we have never met, I believe that you truly are praying and caring for my family! Thank You!

E @ Scottsville said...

Oh how preciously GLORIOUS!!!

Loved reading every words of it, and loved the pictures. Wow, that's just awesome!

Cathy said...

They are just adorable. It is a miracle they did not cry when they fell. They knew they had a mission to accomplish. A sweet story of God's love ~

Karen said...

Awww...so very sweet...what precious memories this will add to that special event....

Wanda's Wings said...

How precious.

Anonymous said...

Hi Andrea,

Precious indeed! I love the photos, too. Also, you have a great new background.

It was so cute of you to play along with my guessing game. I am going to post the answers tomorrow, but they are 4, 7, 9, 15, and 17. ☺
♥Hope

Christine said...

Who needs a cake topper when you have the cutest ones running around.

Daveda said...

Your pictures are priceless, and so is this story. How SWEET. Thanks for sharing this it really touched my heart!

Jane In The Jungle said...

How beautiful!!

Warren Baldwin said...

What an amazing story! Right away I could see these were two cute, adorable kids. But then the story behind this makes this so rich, even spiritual. I would say that right on down the line you and your husband did an incredible job of blending. I have worked in ministry with families that tried to blend. You might think of the ministry of writing a book about this, chronicling your work. Good job.

Saleslady371 said...

What a beautiful lesson to all taught by precious children. It sounds like you have a wonderful family. I enjoy reading about them.

Hugs,
Mary

Shana said...

How adorable! The pictures are great!

Erin said...

Absolutely precious...

Just Be Real said...

Andrea, what precious children. Thank you so much for sharing such a blessings. Blessings and hugs to you dear one.

~*Michelle*~ said...

What a gorgeous photo.......that def. has to be printed/framed....precious!

So happy that God blessed this day.....I know how much it meant to you. YAY!

Oh, and hearing about your blended family is a perfect display of God's love in action. Thanks for sharing everything.....this surely made me smile this morning. :)

Lori Stanley Roeleveld said...

Love it! Andrea! Wonderful, beautiful story. Thank you. I'll be smiling all day.

SmilingSally said...

They look so cute.

Sea Glass said...

Sounds like the wedding was wonderful. Can't wait to see the rest of the pictures. Please hold to me right now, girlfriend, I'm sinking!

LisaShaw said...

Precious story of JESUS' love. Beautiful children! I pray blessings over them and your entire family.

Girly Muse said...

What a beautiful post. Gorgeous little ones. Blessings to all of you!

Mocha Momma said...

They are sure cute. I'm glad that they got along so well and that the wedding was so nice.

Unconditional love even between 2 year olds. God is so awesome.

I'll check in on your friend.
Have a nice weekend,
Nannette

Leslie said...

My first comment didn't post for some reason!

Very precious! I hope you got it all on video! Are you getting some rest now that the wedding is behind you?

Love ya, Leslie

Mary Moss said...

Savannah looks so beautiful--like a little angel! I can't wait to learn more about the wedding and all the wonders God worked:-)

christy rose said...

Oh Andrea, What a sweet story!!!! These pictures are adorable. I had a 2 year old nephew, my sister's son, and a 2 year old niece, my husband's sister's daughter in my wedding too. They were as precious as these two are. Thanks for sharing this story. It brought back some memories of my own.
Christy