... says the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.
Jeremiah 29:11
It's always been one of my favorite pieces of scripture. And if you've been around me long enough you know how much I hate the whole "God will never give you more than you can handle" crap. So this is the promise I turn to. That God has plans for me and they're good.
This last Friday I got to stand up with one of my best friends as he married an amazing woman. And having been his friend since the beginning of seminary and bonding over the ups and downs of relationships that come and go and are amazing and then crap… well, I was overjoyed for him.
Because we had both asked so many times (over a delicious brew at Goose Island where we earned our Masters of Beer Appreciation) if there was anyone out there for us. And we had to battle through all the bullshit of being best friends who were opposite sex and all the times that people told us we looked like we were together and surely one of us liked the other and just wasn't sharing that. We heard it a lot over the years, even when we were in Iowa and Montana for internship. We wallowed away a New Years Eve on Skype together, each in our own timezones.
And then Colleen came along and I remembered how good God is. And I got to watch my bestie go through the whole journey of thinking he wanted to get to know her better through all the frustrations of Chicago public transit and trying to see her when he was in seminary and she in med school… all the way to their wedding a few days ago. Colleen and I got to know each other without Kevin around and I can see all the reasons my best friend fell in love with her. They make each other happy or at the very least understand one another and can laugh when they need to at life or themselves.
My grandma told me once that it gets easier to trust God the older you get. You have more occasions to look back and see God getting you through things time and time again. And I find that to be true as I gain years and experiences.
As I was standing up as a bridesmaid in this wedding listening to their vows, I just wept (and am getting teary again). God provided a partner for my best friend - one that matches him in hilarious and perfect ways that only a best friend can see.
As I celebrate them, I draw on the promise in Jeremiah 29. I trust that God has plans for me. And if God has plans for me, then God has plans for you as well, dear reader. Hope big.
Jeremiah 29:11
 |
| Rev and Dr Baker |
This last Friday I got to stand up with one of my best friends as he married an amazing woman. And having been his friend since the beginning of seminary and bonding over the ups and downs of relationships that come and go and are amazing and then crap… well, I was overjoyed for him.
Because we had both asked so many times (over a delicious brew at Goose Island where we earned our Masters of Beer Appreciation) if there was anyone out there for us. And we had to battle through all the bullshit of being best friends who were opposite sex and all the times that people told us we looked like we were together and surely one of us liked the other and just wasn't sharing that. We heard it a lot over the years, even when we were in Iowa and Montana for internship. We wallowed away a New Years Eve on Skype together, each in our own timezones.
As I was standing up as a bridesmaid in this wedding listening to their vows, I just wept (and am getting teary again). God provided a partner for my best friend - one that matches him in hilarious and perfect ways that only a best friend can see.
As I celebrate them, I draw on the promise in Jeremiah 29. I trust that God has plans for me. And if God has plans for me, then God has plans for you as well, dear reader. Hope big.
No comments:
Post a Comment