“Love one another as I have loved you.” - JesusJohn 15:12
Full disclosure: This is a parental
pride post. Please indulge me.
So, our son Stuart got married the
other day, to his fiance Kate.
I'm going to write that sentence again,
so you can see the delight and excitement that has filled Carol and
me:
So,
our son Stuart got married
the other day, to his fiance Kate!!! (Insert
about a million smiley-faced emojis 😊😊😊 here!)
I
didn't officiate the wedding; it was my distinct privilege to be the
father of the groom, and I didn't want to give up that privilege.
Besides, if I had officiated, it would've taken all I had to resist
doing this (turn up the volume):
So
Stuart and Kate got married, and I got to be the father of the groom.
After
a week of nail-biting to see what Hurricane Irma was going to do (the
wedding was in Charleston, SC – one of the preliminary paths
forecasted for Irma) and then to assess the flood damage that Irma's
remnants did to our wedding and reception venues (thank goodness, all
was dry and clean by the end of the week), we had a wonderful
celebration for Stuart and Kate.
I
think every parent wants to see their parenting bear fruit in their
children. Certainly Carol and I, as well as Kathy and Stan (Kate's
parents) were beaming with pride as we witnessed the love that Stuart
and Kate professed for one another, as well as their maturity as they
affirmed their commitment to each other.
As
is often the case in weddings nowadays, there was a fun theme running
through the weekend celebrations. Stuart and Kate are both graduates
of Clemson University, and they are avowed fans of all things
Clemson. In fact, they waited as long as they could before setting
the date, because they didn't want to have to compete with a Clemson
home game.
As
a tribute to their Clemson roots, they created a social media hashtag
for the weekend: #allinforwilkins. “All in” is the rallying cry
for the football team that was instituted by head coach Dabo Swinney.
They even had a friend design a koozie with a New Mexico / South
Carolina emblem (they live in NM, but are from SC), and the hashtag,
#allinforwilkins.
All
in. It is a simple two-word phrase, but it denotes 100% commitment.
Coach Swinney expects it of every person associated with the football
program, and he asks the students and alumni and fans to be “all
in” for the team. All in. It's an attitude that has played a major
role in the spirit and success of the national championship football
program.
But
alas, I stray. Back to the wedding. Where was I?
Oh
yeah: All in. #allinforwilkins. Truly, everyone who attended the
wedding and festivities were all in for Stuart and Kate. And of
course Stuart and Kate are all in for each other.
“All
in,” it turns out, is a perfect theme for a marriage. Because in
marriage husband and wife declare their unconditional love for one
another, and they promise their undying commitment to one another and
to their family. All in.
Jesus
told his disciples, “Love one another as I have loved you.” In
fact, he said that to his disciples twice on the last night he was
with his disciples. The second time Jesus said it (John 15:12), he
follows the command with this observation: “Greater love has no one
than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends.” Sounds like
an all-in kind of love that Jesus commands of us, doesn't it?
Marriage
is an all-in proposition. Husband and wife giving themselves for the
sake of the other, and for their family. All in...
...The
other day, a church member was reflecting on being married for 52
years. She said, “Marriage doesn't take two; it takes three.”
What she meant was, for marriage to be as abundantly blessed as God
intends it to be, it takes husband, and wife, and Jesus. Marriage
takes three.
I
agree. So just as husband and wife need to be all in for each other,
so should their life together be lived all in for Jesus. Marriage is
not just for the benefit of the husband, wife, and family; it is also
for the glory of God.
All
in. I'd say it's a winning formula – for Clemson football, for
life, for marriage, for faith. All in is win-win.
 |
| Photo credit: David Wilkins |
#allinforwilkins!
