The maintenance of your girls, or how to wed a daughter

Marcia Moston

Being knee-deep in wedding plans with our one and only daughter, I had to laugh when I came across the admonition in Proverbs to be good stewards of what you had, so that in time of need there would be “food for your household and maintenance for your girls.”—Proverbs 27:27

Ha! Maintenance for your girls. Lord knows us well. Our dear one and only daughter was not cheap to keep and nor is she to give away. Makes me kind of re-think the verse I used to pray over my children—“Let our sons in their youth be as grown-up plants, And our daughters as corner pillars fashioned as for a palace.”—Psalm 144:12

There’s nothing more alluring than the World of Weddings to remind you that your daughter has indeed been fashioned for a palace. I marvel at the limitless possibilities, the complexity of a cake, the minutia of a menu, the height of a shoe and the up-or-down do. All for a price, of course. If you’re not careful, at the end of the day you could come out feeling like you’ve just been the demo in a school for pickpockets. Where, oh where, did all the money go?

But this isn’t a post about spending money (although I did want you to know what’s been occupying my time lately). This is about grace—which I have no control over—and about lessons, pointers, really, that my daughter and I are keeping in mind as we prepare for this special time in her fashioning.

1.     Grace and God’s provision. When I asked the Lord for the finances to help her, I imagined God giving us money from some unexpected source. What has actually happened is that we have walked into bargains and discounts and at-the-right-place-at-the-right-time opportunities galore, amounting to thousands of dollars in savings. He doesn't always provide in the manner we expect, but surely, Blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

2.    Remembering, “What is the Important?” Although we want everything about this day to be lovely and enjoyable, perfect, in fact, at the end of the day she will be married, and the important is to

Honor God

Honor guests

Honor each other

Enjoy these moments

And keep our perspective amid the razzle dazzle—elegance in simplicity

 Come to think of it—good to remember anytime, whether marrying a daughter or living a day. 

Our daughter has been through dark places and we have travailed at times in despair. But I am so thankful, so blessed, so bowed, that my God is faithful and he has clothed her in his righteousness. Now when I see her standing there in that beaded, lace gown, white flowing down behind her, I see not who she was, but who she is: a pillar fashioned as for a palace—God’s palace.

My heart to any of you parents, worrying and wondering. We lift our children to you Lord. Hear our prayers.

Thanks for checking back after my long delinquency, friends.I appreciate your encouragement and interest.

Blessings,

Marcia