My wedding day had finally come. After 12 years of waiting, the Lord gave a deep, surrendered, exposed, and precious desire of my heart to me. I lived my 20s hoping this day would come, but some days I wondered if it would ever happen. Those years were full of highs and lows, feeling content, feeling disappointment, but I grew in my identity as a daughter of God and encountered challenges that put that growth to the test.
Growing up in the Midwest, I have experienced many spring and summer thunderstorms. There is a moment, for me, that comes just after a storm that feels like a fresh start. There is nothing like the smell of fresh rain. The way it lingers is intoxicating and motivating, yet peaceful. It’s the moment when all life resumes: birds chirp again, the squirrels run around, and I am free and invigorated to engage with the world around me.
In the past two years of my life, the Lord has spoken to me through this moment after a storm. He has brought peace to my heart by reminding me of his faithfulness. He reminds me that as I trust him, his timing, and his faithfulness, the storms of life can be weathered, and he will bring me to the other side of each one.
But back to August 6, 2021: the big day. Many emotions were bubbling up that morning as I got ready with my sister and best friends. Everything was set for a beautiful ceremony outside on the side of a mountain overlooking Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, except for the weather.
It is typical on a summer afternoon for a rain shower to pass through, and right about the time I was supposed to be walking down the aisle, rain, thunder, and lightning made their entrance. I was in a truck driving up the mountain to the ceremony site and praying that the Lord would move the clouds along quickly. Our guests were retreating to their vehicles, and many were getting soaked. I felt horrible, but at that point there was nothing I could do. This storm felt like it would last forever; in reality it was only 5 or 10 minutes.
And then, the rain suddenly let up! At that moment I knew the Lord had heard my prayers and I leapt out of the truck and shouted, “Let’s do this!” My heart, my mind, and my body flooded with joy that the moment had come, the clouds had passed, and I was getting married, surrounded by family and friends and the presence of God. I am so grateful for glimpses, in this life, of the joy of the Lord. I know the joy I experienced last year in that moment after the storm is a small taste of the joy that will overwhelm me on the day when I see Jesus.
