Last night I was visiting my sons in Cookeville, TN, where they go to college. After attending a fundraising dinner for the Baptist Collegiate Ministry, we came back to their house. Within 30 minutes their small living room was full of friends, laughing, pulling out instruments to play, and talking about what was happening in their lives.
Within that group was a newly engaged couple — Jessica and Andy — extremely newly engaged, as in, that afternoon! So, as friends congratulated them, they asked Jessica to tell the story of how Andy proposed. It was a very sweet story, and as the group gave their approval of a job well-done by Andy, one in the group spoke up. Molly said: “Let’s take a minute to pray for Andy and Jessica.” Everything else stopped and eyes closed as Molly led the group in prayer.
As she thanked God for these good friends and for guiding them together, she also prayed that they would not look at marriage as the world does, but as an opportunity to glorify God and serve Him through their relationship and home.
I sat there, agreeing with every word she prayed, but also just in awe of what I was experiencing. At a time in our history where we hear very little good from college campuses, and young people are in the streets demonstrating against our democracy, I was in a room full of God’s grace, hope and love. I was with a room full of young people who were going against the tide, taking the narrow path, and finding not that they had a huge group of friends to journey with, but a small, yet intimately caring group on whom to lean for support.
I went home shortly after, full of thankfulness that my sons have such friends. I thank the Lord for each and every one. God bless them one and all.
Grace and Peace