The Father of the Bride

Tomorrow, June 20, 2010, my daughter is getting married.  That makes me the “Father of the Bride.”  There’s a jovial stigma to being the Father of the Bride.  Maybe we can chalk that up to Spencer Tracy.  But at any rate, I feel much more than a bumbling man whose only contribution to the wedding is his wallet.  Not that I’m not a bumbling man or that weddings are free.  I am and they aren’t.  But here’s what else I am as “the Father of the Bride:

• I am blessed to have been able to experience another phase of life.  One of the things that makes the death of a young person so difficult is the realization of how many things they were not able to experience.  I’ve been blessed to be able to experience childhood, college, getting married, and having and raising children.  I have paused to think of how many people do not get the opportunity to experience the joys that come from each of these milestones in life.  God intended life to be enjoyable, and by being the “Father of the Bride,” I’m able to experience yet another one of those milestones.

• I am blessed that my daughter is a Christian and has chosen to marry a young man who also is a Christian.  Together, they will help each other go to Heaven.  What more can a father want for his daughter than for her lifelong companion to be someone who will assist her in going to Heaven?  Because of their selection, they have both avoided so many pitfalls that come from separate allegiances, competing loyalties, and have greatly enhanced their own hopes for eternal life.  “Two are better than one…” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12).

• I am blessed because I know the potential that is wrapped up in the God ordained institution of marriage.  I know from revelation as well as practical experience.  I am glad to know that she will be able to experience all the advantages that come from this relationship, not only in ultimately arriving at Heaven, but also in navigating the peaks and valleys of life.

So, tomorrow I’ll be the “Father of the Bride.”  Bumbling, in the way, lighter in the wallet, but most definitely blessed!