Often when we look at the world around us, we can see much that is going wrong.  Sometimes God gives us glimpses of what He’s doing, of what is right, and it serves as a breath of fresh air.  Watching two close of my friends joined together in marriage this past Sunday was just that.  This couple, Brian and Hannah, are more than members of the church I pastor.  They are my brother and sister in Jesus.  They are friends I care about deeply.

God blessed me with a front row seat to watch their relationship blossom over the past two years and grow into a marriage relationship.   While officiating their wedding ceremony I shared three observations that blessed me personally and should serve to challenge any of us who want to honor God in the most important of human relationships:

1) They pursued this relationship in the context of community.  They actively sought the wisdom and prayer of those who cared most about them personally , their relationship with each other, and their relationship with Jesus throughout this process.  The line of groomsmen and bridesmaids provided evidence of the people who they had invited to speak into their relationship.

2) They truly seek to love, honor, and respect each other. They not only “get” each other but in the areas where they don’t they are committed to figuring it out.  They see the God-given potential in each other and spur each other on to become everything God created them to be.  Love, respect, honor- we all want it and we all need to give it.

3) Their friendship, dating relationship, and marriage are the byproduct of seeking Jesus first.   Neither was searching for a mate.  They were seeking Jesus and He brought their paths together.  Jesus meant what He said- “seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you.”  A quiet confidence exists when we know God was the author of a relationship and it wasn’t manufactured by human manipulation.