MOVING FORWARD - pastor mike landry

It's been a couple weeks since my last entry to this blog. Sorry about that if you're a regular reader. My plate has been a little fuller than normal. I've not had the time or the words to adequately describe the events up to this point. But none of the events have been so exciting, so fulfilling, so captivating, so life-changing as my daughter's wedding. My baby, Michelle, just got married over the weekend!

I'm a dad who has loved this season of life. There's nothing that Cindy and I have enjoyed more than spending time with our kids. Watching them grow up and develop into young adults who are so very different from each other has been amazing. Yet the variety and differences have added so much fun to the adventure; not to mention the stories that have become legendary to our family. An added blessing has been to see how each sibling has been a vital part of the development of each other’s progress. They actually seem to like each other and want to be vital part of each other’s future. Nothing has blessed Cindy’s heart and mine more than that.

But now, things are changing for us. Our kids have gotten married. Michelle was the last one to tie the knot. We knew it coming, but, for me, the thought of marrying off my daughter was not so easy.

I’ve had to entrust my girls to these “guys” who have not been part of our adventure up to this time. As my friend, Jay Strack, told me, “It’s like giving a Stradivarius Violin to an 800-pound gorilla.” I couldn’t agree more. I’ve always been the provider and protector of my girls. It’s tough thinking about passing that responsibility on to somebody else…much less, an 800-pound gorilla.

However, I’ve had a chance to get to know these “guys” very well and am amazed at how much they care for and love my daughters. In fact, it even appears that God made them for my girls. That’s really helped me to make it through this time of transition. To give my daughters away, I’m having to trust God. That should be easy…but it’s not.

But I did it; and was able to make it through the wedding. The hardest part of the wedding was saying, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.” I knew the moment I did that, there was no turning back. It was one of the happiest moments for me, but also, one of the saddest. No turning back. My role was changing.

Now, I’ve got another son-in-law, Nathan Schneider. He’s a very good friend of my other son-in-law, Steve Browning. My son, Jason, is also a friend of theirs. It sounds like a conspiracy. But I’ve come to believe it’s a “conspiracy of grace.” The Lord knew what I needed. Instead of losing another daughter, I’ve gained another son. The adventure is not over, but rather continuing with 3 new pioneers (two “guys” and a daughter-in-law named Amanda) to share the excitement with.

I am blessed. My wife and I are extremely blessed. My three kids have now become six. And I’m being told by many that it may result in many more… called grandkids. Talk about scary. And I thought giving away a daughter was life-changing. ☺

"God said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness...For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor 12:9-10