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| These are the Matthews. They can beat you in doubles foosball. |
They're quite a dynamic duo.
I had the pleasure of living with Justin (AKA "J-Matt") for around four years before he moved to Colorado to pursue his lady-friend, to whom he then popped the question shortly thereafter.
Some of the highlights of my time living with J-Matt included him driving down the UT pedestrian walkway, pulling his shirt off during group pictures, and running from UTPD on foot.
Sorry, but I can't write all of our adventures down. The internet wouldn't be able to handle it.
I'm sure you understand.
Around a year and a half ago, my buddy Justin married his longtime sweetheart, Mackenzie. I got to see it all unfold, from start to wedding. I love them both to death. They're a power couple, if ever you saw one.
It's definitely been a little while since the wedding, but there are some things you just don't forget. Like that time I cried at the rehearsal dinner while speaking, and, if my memory serves me right, more than most of the girls did. Where did that come from? I'm normally a steel fortress. Or that time when our friend Tyler Underwood went krump krazy in the middle of the dance floor. I've seen krumping before, but this was rage dancing to a degree one only reads about in the storybooks.
The thing that's burned most into my memory, however, happened during the wedding.
I was given the honor and pleasure of being one of Justin's groomsmen. If you've never done this before, it meant I was behind Justin the whole time, giving me a great view of Mackenzie's face throughout the whole ceremony. (Nothing weird, Justin...)
After she walked down the aisle and the pastor had said a few words, it was time for the marriage vows. To be honest, I don't remember exactly what he said. What I do remember, though, was Mackenzie's face.
As the pastor began to read the vows prepared for Justin, she looked into his eyes and held his hands. With each line the pastor read, Mackenzie's gaze was communicating something very clearly: I know someone else is saying these words, but these are my words. This is how I feel about you. Don't miss this. These are my words for you today.
Something happened in me when I saw this. I felt myself tear up again. My heartstrings were being tugged again. What in the world was going on with me? Was I going to be the crier of the wedding party for the second day in a row?
Then I realized what was happening.
I had just seen a picture of what it's like for God to speak to me through a friend, a song, a movie, or a verse of scripture.
Of course that's why I teared up! Because I got a glimpse of something I was made for.
My personal times with God can often feel so impersonal, so transactional. I can read something like Zephaniah 3:17, which says, "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing," and log it away as fact without letting it be God's personal words in that moment, a renewal of his wedding vows. I think often God wants to be more intimate than I let him. But I want to learn to always say yes to the gaze that invites me to accept his advances through whatever avenue he's choosing to speak.
When I feel like God's speaking through a person or a verse or whatever way he chooses, I see that picture from the Matthews' wedding again. I see God, smiling at me with the same expression Mackenzie gave Justin during her wedding vows, saying, "These are my words for you. I know someone else is saying these words to you, but they're my words."
"I know you're reading these words, but they're my words to you. Look into my eyes. Don't miss this. This is how I feel about you."
My best friend's wedding taught me something special about God. It gave me an awesome picture of the way God speaks to me. When I read or hear his words, I have a better picture of what expression might just be on his face.
Could it be that he looks at you the same way, too?
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