It is no secret that I have made some mistakes. These mistakes have had some pretty terrible consequences. They have damaged my reputation and changed the way people see me (people I've known for years). I have done my very best to do what's right consistently while spending lots of time praying that these people see it. The hardest lesson I've learned through all of this is that it doesn't matter if they see it. It doesn't matter what they think or who I lose, it only matters that God sees it.
When Adam and I decided to get married we needed to find a church for the ceremony because the one we attend doesn't have a center aisle. We started with the church I grew up in here in Yuma that is currently under new leadership. When we met with the Pastor about using their facilities there was this very long shpeal about how they want to keep things Christ-centered in their church and especially during weddings. He laid out the rules before us on the way they do weddings in their church. As we left we knew it wasn't for us but I couldn't help but conclude that because my dress didn't have sleeves and I wanted to walk down the aisle to Coldplay that my wedding would not be Christ-centered.
As most of you know we ended up finding the most beautiful church to have our ceremony. It was filled with lots of people who have lots of love for the two of us and I don't regret our decision for a second. There was so much love and so much of Christ in our wedding and it was the most wonderful moment in our lives. It was everything I ever wanted it to be.
We were married on Saturday of Easter weekend and my oldest nephew was scheduled to be baptized that Sunday, the very next day. This is an event I never would have missed no matter the circumstances and we really didn't want to miss church on Easter either. He was baptized in the church I was raised in mentioned above so we went to their early service. The Pastor came to greet us during the greeting song and said that they've never had a couple show up for church on their honeymoon. We said there wasn't anywhere we'd rather be and left it at that.
Later on as we left the church a family member honked at us in response to the writing on our car windows and my dad was still standing outside the church. A man that we do not know was standing with a friend of our family's that still attends this church and my dad overhears a conversation between these two men. The stranger says, "Wow! They came to church on their honeymoon!? That's impressive." Our friend looks at my dad and simply says, "Yeah, that's Shandi and you don't know the half of her."
I am Shandi and you don't know the half of me.
