After Abby and Aijay's wedding on Saturday, Abby told Nancy and I that the day was "perfect."  She told everyone that again on Sunday morning after the immediate family had gathered for an informal brunch and time for Abby and Aijay to open their gifts.  As a dad, what could be better than having your daughter say her wedding day was "pefect"?  For this dad, one thing could be better:  knowing for certain your daugther and her husband have Jesus at the center of the new life they've started together.  Those of you who know me well, know I struggled a great deal with letting Abby go.  That was true right up until Nancy and I were walking Abby down the aisle.

As we walked together with Abby between Nancy and me, I looked over and saw Abby's face and Nancy's right behind Abby's.  I looked down and saw Aijay waiting for us, and in that moment God gave me the assurance that this was exactly what we were all supposed to be doing at that moment.  In an instant everything was, indeed, perfect---The bridesmaids and ushers were perfect; Pastor Brad's leadership of the service was perfect; the reception afterward was perfect.  Don't get me wrong, little details may have been less than the absolute best they could have been, but when I studied Greek, I learned that the word "telios" or perfect, means:  "ideally fulfilling the purpose for which one was created."  The moment, the day, the situation and the couple--Abby and Aijay fit that definition in my heart.

As Nancy and I reflected back on the weekend this morning, we did so with joy and satisfaction.  Thanks to God's gift of memory, we'll be able to do that for a long time to come, by God's grace and continued provision of the breath of life in us.  The perfect moments in life are probably much more abundant than we realize, because sometimes we're too busy trying to make sure everything is perfect to enjoy the perfection God has provided in them.  I'm glad He gave me the moment of realization on Saturday at about 5:45 p.m. that all was perfect.  My prayer is that today, and tomorrow and as many days as God gives each of us we will relish His perfection in special and mundane moments.  As we do, we give Him glory.  As we do we enjoy His grace.  And as we do, if we're wise, we share God's glory with others, so they can see and enjoy it, too!

Thanks to all of you who have shared in Abby or Aijay's lives to this point.  Thanks for those who worked so hard to make Saturday, September 10, 2011 a perfect day for Abby and Aijay, and for a dad, who started out thinking it was going to be a hard day, but who came to see God's perfection everywhere I looked!

(If you're a regular reader of New Life's blog, things will return to "normal" tomorrow.)