It is really cute to watch: our daughter Libby counting down the days until she is married.  Libby actually lives two hours from here, in Pineville, where she attends Louisiana (Baptist) College – but I get to keep up with her on Facebook. She tracks her “countdown” there, with posts like:

“Oh my goodness … I’m getting married NEXT MONTH!!!”

“We are down to like 36 days! I can’t believe it!”

“I’m getting married to Joshua Curtis Breland in 30 days!!!!”

And so on …

It’s pretty fun.  Several of our friends and church members have commented on how cute it is that Libby is so excited, and that she so obviously in love with Josh.  Cheryl & I both love Josh, and think that the Lord has some great plans for Libby and him together in ministry in the years ahead, so we are excited too – despite the deluge of wedding bills that makes me feel like Spencer Tracy in “Father of the Bride”!  (YES I purposefully said Spencer Tracy and not Steve Martin; the older version is much better!)  A recurrent theme around our house these days is, “After Libby’s wedding …” (As in “After Libby’s wedding we’ll get some new shoes”; “After Libby’s wedding we’ll get that stuff for the lawn”; “After Libby’s wedding we’ll get some groceries” – no, it is not THAT bad!)  But despite all the costs, and all of the plans and details, I have determined to enjoy it; Libby is our only daughter, and this will be a time we will all remember for years to come.  So I am counting the days, but not just to get them over with; rather savoring them as we go. 

It does all remind me of another wedding, though … one which may be soon: the marriage of the Lord and His bride.  The Bible tells us that the best marriages here on earth are just a picture of the relationship of Christ and His church.  Revelation calls the eternal celebration when Christ and His church are united forever “the marriage supper of the Lamb”!  We have so much to look forward to.  We should be “counting down the days”!

But are we?  Do you really look forward to heaven?  I know sometimes we do.  If you are like me, there are days or weeks when you wish the Lord would return, or that He would call you to be with Him (I think I just had a week like that – your first clue is I posted absolutely nothing on Facebook!)  but usually we think that way on BAD days, or BAD weeks, or when we are embroiled in difficult situations.  When things seem depressing here, we think: “I would just rather go to heaven than endure this.”  And that is understandable; heaven SHOULD be our hope.  But the thing is, if we really knew what was waiting for us in heaven, we would not only long for it on our worst days on earth; we’d wish for it on our best!  Psalm 16 tells us “In Your presence is fullness of joy; in Your right hand there are pleasures forever.”  Paul said in II Corinthians 12 that he went up to Paradise and heard things that were “inexpressible.”  “Inexpressible” pleasures and joy await us in the presence of the Lord in heaven!  We should be excited about that – even on our best days here on earth.  Although unlike Libby, we don’t know the exact date of our “nuptials”, every day we wake up, we know we are one day closer.  Every one of us who knows Jesus as our Lord & Savior should be like giddy brides-to-be.  We should be counting down the days! 

P.S.  Libby’s wedding date is May 14^th.  I think we’re at 29 days … and counting …