A good lesson learned in a good way <3

I finally made it into the New Testament in my chronological Bible read through after we returned from traveling. Today I read a passage that always makes me smile because I feel like I got to live it once. 

Probably twenty years ago, we attended the wedding of a young girl who had been in youth group with our children. We were and are good friends with her family. There were several families from our church invited. 

The bride had actually attended nursing school back in my old stomping grounds where she met her future husband. The wedding was to be held on one of the river boats that cruise along the Ohio River where it passes Louisville KY and New Albany IN. 

While I had walked along the riverfront with my family over the years and crossed it countless times to visit my parents, I only took one boat trip on it.

My family took us on the Belle of Louisville once. It was a treat to be able to travel down and back along the shores that are dotted with beautiful homes. 

The wedding ceremony took place inside the boat first though. Since those of us who had traveled from Illinois were a small contingent of the guests, we friends from back home hung back to make sure we didn’t take any prime seats from family members and local guests. 

The seats were filling up and we were about to make our way to some open spaces when the mother of the bride – our friend – came up and saw us standing. She flagged one of the ushers and had him take us right up to the front row areas right with the family. 

So when I read this passage I have to smile because I know what it feels like to be given a seat of honor. 

“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished that you may have been invited. If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, “Give this persons your seat.” Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests.”

Luke 14:8-10

I remember, as we sat as near to the front as you can get without being a blood relative, this verse popped into my mind and makes me smile to this day. When you live a lesson, it sticks. Glad I learned it the easy way. 

Have a blessed weekend, friends. You are dearly loved <3