They say prayer has three answers: yes, no and wait.  This weekend, I got to see one of those long “wait for it” prayers answered.  I did not have a successful marriage and I have prayed and worried about my children in their relationships for years.  What a blessing it has been to me to see them in relationships and work things out when life gets tough.

My second son got married in December (he’s a Marine and had to do it on government time after deployment) and the reception was this weekend.  Watching my son love and care for his wife — and her entire family — filled me with such a sense of pride.  I felt like, “I get it, God.  It wasn’t my marriage that would be the answer to my prayer, it would be my children’s.”

And I’m good with that.  It’s so satisfying to see all they’ve been through already. (Long distance relationship while he was in Okinawa.  Barely any communication while he was on the 8-month ship deployment, making two families blend and merging households.) They both love each other through the good and the bad.  They compromise.  They take care of one another and they have a great time together.)

So my answered prayer for a godly marriage may not have been mine, but I feel like God’s answer was ultimately more satisfying for me.  My kids did not learn dysfunction.  They learned FROM the dysfunction and that is an amazing answer to prayer.  Well done, God.  I did not see that coming.