How I was wrong about children in weddings

I was wrong.

My family has often heard me say, "Animals and small children do not belong in weddings." One of my daughters asked, "Daddy, why do you say that? Who in the world is going to use an animal in a wedding?"

I explained that I meant it as a metaphor; small children are about as unpredictable as animals. It was my way of saying that using a preschooler in a wedding is about as risky as walking your dog down the aisle with you. You never know what they might do.

I meant no offense to people who love to use tiny tikes in the wedding. I agree that they can make cute photographs, and if I’m performing a wedding and a family wants to use little children, I go along with it.

However, over the years, I have experienced preschoolers who would scream, throw up,

run to mommy in the middle of the service, drop things, throw things, and wander all over the platform.

So that’s why I started saying that animals and small children don’t belong in weddings. But I was wrong.

I repented of my wrong words after my associate pastor told me about a wedding in Thomasville. The bride and groom stood before the pastor, with lots of beautiful greenery all around them.

As the couple began to repeat their vows, a green lizard hopped out of one of the plants, and landed on the white wall behind the groom, slowly inching his way up the wall. Then another green lizard hopped out of a plant on the other side, and began inching up the wall behind the bride.

Up they went, as the couple went on with their vows. Finally, the two lizards were on the wall above the preacher, facing one another.

At the very moment that the reverend said, "I now pronounce you man and wife," the two lizards embraced overhead faster than the groom could kiss his bride.

So I was wrong to say that animals and small children do not belong in weddings. I should have said, reptiles and small children do not belong in weddings.

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