God has a Funny Bone

We have talked quite a bit about God's mysterious ways of late. God also has a sense of humor. How else do you explain the giraffe, the platypus, the kangaroo?

Saturday evening we attended a beautiful wedding reception. The wedding was held in the bride's location, and most of the church people were not able to attend. The groom was a part of our body of Christ since he was born - a fine, Christian young man. I remember hosting his baby shower and making his cakes - a teddy bear and a giraffe, if my memory serves me correctly. I was so creative in those days. On another subject, my most oft uttered phrase these days seems to be, "I used to . . ."

The groom went to college about 6 years ago, seriously dating a beautiful girl he'd met in high school and had brought to youth group. The young lady became an inspirational Christian and it was a joy to watch her growth in God. They went to separate colleges for the first year, but couldn't take the separation, so she joined him at his school for their sophomore year. The summer after their junior year, to everyone's shock and sadness, they broke up. She went back to school, met another great young guy, got married . . .

The young man got a job back in the Midwest where he went to school, bought a house, rented rooms to college friends, and seemed to be happily settled as a young bachelor. He came home during college spring break, to spend the time in the mountains at his family's cabin. His cousin brought a friend with her, and each of his brothers had brought friends, so there was a great group of young adults up there having a great time. They took off one morning on their four-wheelers in fresh new, beautiful spring snow. The cousin and her friend were on the vehicle ahead of the young man. The friend was on a tube. She fell off the tube just as the young man turned around to look behind him. He did not see her fall off the tube and land in the soft, deep snow. He drove right over her! Amazingly, she was protected by the deep snow from any injury. She had an angel riding with her that day.

The young man and the young woman had not really become acquainted yet, because there were so many kids. But soon after this incident, he took her for a ride in the family plane and they began and long, getting-acquainted conversation. At the end of the vacation, they headed in opposite directions to their careers, never to be the same!

The young man became very dissatisfied with his job, resigned, put his house up for sale, and headed back west. He moved to the town where she lived so that they could become better acquainted. As you can imagine, they soon became engaged and began planning their wedding.

I really had a strong feeling that this would happen and imagined the great story they could someday tell their children. I just learned this week-end that the cousin who brought her friend to this gathering had been praying for several years that these two young people would meet. She just KNEW they were right for each other. God answered her prayers - and in such an amazing way! The picture of the bride and her bridesmaids jumping with joy in the air said it all - the friend/cousin who introduced them had the most glorious smile on her face. Now she and her best friend are cousins!

God's mysterious ways!