when parents pray

before they knew who he would be, they prayed for her. they prayed everyday for this woman they didn't know and wouldn't know until he was old enough to fall in love.

her parents prayed too, for a man that would value her, and cherish her gifts. they prayed that he would consider her a team mate, not just a spouse.

i can't imagine what they felt like that day. as abby stood in that tiny room waiting, her father walked in and told her how beautiful she was. was his faith renewed knowing the man that waited at the end of the aisle was exactly who he prayed for all those years? as justin walked his mother down the aisle did she get emotional thinking of that tiny baby she held in her arms? was she remembering all the times she asked God to give him a wife that would love him as much as she did?

his whole life i've prayed for deacon's wife. as he develops and i see who he is becoming i pray for his compliment. watching justin and abby and knowing the thousands of prayers that were said in their honor encourages and reminds me that marriage isn't simply two people and a decision. it's a lifetime of day by days, of little things turning into something big. it's about the answer to prayers and the beginning of new ones.