Tanner and Savannah,
Man. Congratulations, guys. What an exciting week I know this must be for the two of you. I am filled with joy as I follow the weeks leading up to your wedding, but I do still have to constantly remind myself that this is not a union between Peyton’s little brother and my weird freshman friend. No, this is a union between a son and a daughter, my brother and sister, two adults whom I’ve had the pleasure to know for years, who are committing to each other for life, who are separating from their families to become one with the other, and who are promising before God and man to love each other in the face of all that life brings.
I’m so encouraged by that. And I wish I could be there for the celebration.
My prayer for you is that each day, you would call each other higher and closer to the Father. That both of you would value the other more highly than yourself. That you would teach each other, honor each other, respect each other, and love each other, even when it’s hard. Especially when it’s hard.
My prayer for you is that your life together isn’t fun and easy every day. I care far too deeply for you to pray that everything is good all the time. I pray that your marriage is drenched in the joy of the Lord, and I pray that you are content in every circumstance, yes, but I pray that together you are blessed by trials. That when they come, your faith and your relationship are refined and refined and refined, that the dross and impurities would be burned away, and that you would continue in perseverance to sharpen each other as the Lord guides your relationship into deeper strength, purity, and love.
My prayer for you, Savvy, is that our Father would take the wonderful woman that you are and continue His good work in you as you daily press in to Him. I pray that He would lead you into a deeper understanding of Him and of yourself, that you would have a greater grasp of your strengths and weaknesses as you grow into the woman God has planned for you to become. I pray that, together with the Father and Tanner, you can appreciate, walk in, and cultivate the part of the Body in which the Father has equipped you to function. I pray that you would love and respect Tanner as God teaches you to fulfill your role in the Union of Christ and the church with sacrificial submission and love.
My prayer for you, Airman DeWitt, is that you continue to look increasingly more like Christ every day. What you’re committing to is difficult; it’s intimidating, but it’s wonderful and sanctifying. I know that you’ve been advised to love Savannah as Christ loves the church, but my prayer for you is that you really study our Savior and the gravity of what that kind of love implies. He loved first, He loved when it seemed impossible, He loved when He was betrayed, He loved while being crucified. He loved us to the point of death. When loving is hard, learn from the ways that He demonstrated love to you. My prayer is that you commit yourself to loving this way. I’m encouraged by who you’ve grown to be, and I truly respect you as a man. I see Christ so heavily in you, and I pray that His love pours out of you always.
I love you guys. I can’t wait to see how your marriage brings glory to His name. #LetsDeWitt.
-Thad
