Changing Plans, Unchanging God

Our names are Sally and Jeffrey and we have been married for 9 months. Sally is a seminary student while serving at the church and Jeff is a data engineer.

We’ve experienced many joys and challenges leading up to our wedding day and have continually seen God at work in our journey of marriage. Weeks after our engagement, we started making plans for our wedding day. We made sure to secure some vendors as we were going to have a large party with many family and friends.

As spring came around, society seemed to have shut down and anxiety was high for everyone with the threat of the new virus. The future of our big day was uncertain as municipal offices and buildings closed down. Our overseas families and friends could no longer travel and most of our plans went out the window. We had to come up with alternatives and share disappointing news that we had to postpone our reception.

However, with only three weeks before our arranged wedding day, we found one city hall that would be able to provide us with a marriage license. Within two weeks, the ceremony location was secured and we had all the helpers we needed to share the wedding day with our guests. The wedding was anything but typical and nothing like what we expected but God provided the right people and resources at the right time so that we could celebrate with as many people as possible. Throughout the wedding planning process, we had envisioned different ways to celebrate and tried to meet different expectations but God reminded us otherwise of what was important.

Our wedding day was not about elaborate plans and extravagant details, it was to symbolize the start of our marriage and the journey we would embark to further His kingdom together. Inviting others to witness our vows to one another was our testimony of how God had led us in our relationship and to begin our marriage with Christ as our foundation.

We started our season together through venturing the challenges of a unique wedding day unlike any we had attended before, but God led us to be at peace and celebrate our big day with joy and thankfulness.

Photo by: Into the Aisle Photography

We remembered and were encouraged from the Bible passage, Colossians 3:12-17,

“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.”

We remember that God has brought us together and we are thankful for this past year and what the Lord is still teaching us about marriage. As we spend our days together, we choose to love and serve one another with the love that Christ has shown us. We remember our relationship is not only between the two of us but it involves our families by birth and by faith. We journey with others and get to share our experiences as part of our testimony of God’s faithfulness and we strive to be faithful to who God is calling us to be so that we may do everything for His glory.

Jeff and Sally's encouragement and challenge to you:

Encouragement - Our joy and hope is found in God, no matter the circumstances. We can be His witnesses throughout every season in life.

Challenge - Where has God led you in the past year through challenges in joy and thankfulness? How can you share that with someone else?