come and listen

When Brent and I were preparing to walk down the aisle back in 2008, we knew there would be a lot of decisions: what to wear, how many guests to invite, where to have the wedding etc. etc. Most of these decisions I made when I was about seven [yes, I was that child], but one thing I knew Brent would want some say in was our wedding music.

And then a friend introduced me to the perfect song. So I told him that was what we would walk down the aisle to.

And he liked it too.

So David Crowder's Come and Listen it was. [Listen HERE if you've never heard it]

There was something hauntingly beautiful about it in the music. But the lyrics? Oh the lyrics exactly captured what we wanted our wedding day to be about.

We didn't want it to be about a lot of fanfare. Or a big party. Or having THE best of whatever. 
We wanted it to be about how God was bringing us together--how He had brought us together, and we wanted it to be a place where others would see and experience that great God, who at His very core is Love.

So it made sense to start the ceremony off by walking down the aisle to the words, "Come and listen to what He has done. Come to the water's edge, all you who are thirsty, come. Let me tell you what He has done for me…he has done for you…he has done for us."

On that day, as young and green as we were, we knew we wanted to shout from the rooftops what God had done for us. We knew, entering the vast unknown of marriage, that "great was our God, for He is good" and that we wanted Him to be a part of that day and the rest of our lives.

I've listened to the song many times since then. Many times. Which is why I was kind of taken aback by how emotional I got this past Sunday when we sang it at church. I say "kind of" because, let's be honest I'm a very pregnant woman. But as the music swelled I couldn't help but think of that day, nearly 6 years ago…but also the past 6 years. And as we sang, "Let me tell you what He's done for me…what he's done for us…." I was overwhelmed by the goodness of my God. In the good stuff, in the hard stuff, in the unfilled in stuff-- the goodness of my God.

And here we are, two moves, a house, 4 jobs, manymany friendships, and almost two babies later, and I'm so thankful that 22 year old Kelsey and 22 year old Brent had the forethought to want to tell people to come and listen about how good our God is; that they wanted to start their marriage at the "water's edge" thirsty for God to reveal himself to them. And I am so thankful that that God who was present the day we said "I do," is the God I still know and love this day. And in 25 years I hope I still want others to come and listen.