Everyone loves a good mystery, right? I mean, who doesn’t enjoy the journey of trying to discover something that is fascinating or exciting? Even our very lives, from where we will end up in 10 years, to what we will eat for lunch tomorrow, can seem to be the most impenetrable of all mysteries.
Everyone knows, however, that the best part of any mystery is the fact that you can eventually solve it. In fact, if there is a mystery that cannot be solved, we get frustrated with it rather quickly. Such unknowns, like the question of who delivers the mailman’s mail or where garbage cans get thrown away, can be more than enough to keep me awake at night scratching my head.
Out of all of the mysteries that come along with being human, arguably the most profound mystery is the way of a Groom with his Bride. To be loved, cherished, and most importantly, known at the very core of our being is one of the most foundational desires of the human heart. This desire for true love has led to the downfall of nations, the spilling of blood, the spending of countless amounts of money, and the pursuit of every person to just find someone to fulfill it. The bad news? It can be rather inconvenient. This desire can lead us to do things that make no sense and can seriously mess up our lives. The good news? It is truly the most wonderful and fulfilling thing in the world when we obtain the truest of all love, and there is not a person alive that could talk me out of keeping it.
You see, in all my pursuing, I have found true love. And I can tell you how to find it too. Interested?
A Love Story Written By Heaven
Before I reveal the secret to my success and fulfillment in life, I have a little story to tell. In the middle of that most defining season of every teenage boy’s life called puberty, I met the most incredible girl I have ever met. I met her at one of the best places, in my opinion, to meet a girl; a church.
I had gotten invited to attend an event at a church in Northern Michigan by a few friends of mine. I was feeling hungry for God, so I jumped right on board. The event went like any typical church event, and towards the end, I found myself looking towards the back while praying for someone. At the rear of the building, stood the most incredible, breathtaking, and gorgeously crafted sound equipment I have ever seen. But more importantly, there was the most radiantly beautiful girl that I had ever laid eyes on. As my eyes met hers, I involuntarily began to lose my train of thought and my prayer turned into something more along the lines of an incoherent stutter.
After making several nervous eye contacts with this very pretty girl throughout the rest of the service, I discovered that a friend of mine was friends with her. In a stroke of luck that was nothing short of divine, we ended up at the same breakfast restaurant after the end of the service to continue the fine art of making googly eyes at each other.
After this, we ended up talking quite a bit in the months that followed, and forged a hormonally charged friendship. There was no fighting it; I knew I was falling for Sarah.
There came a day in May of 2010 when Sarah was in Guatemala on a short term missions trip. Having such strong feelings for her, even this 10 day period seemed to stretch into the horizons of eternity, and I couldn't wait for her to be back home. On what would have normally been an average Wednesday, I was spending time with the Lord in my bedroom. While praying, I suddenly felt the presence of the Lord upon me in an unusual and increased way. He began speaking to me with a clarity that I had rarely experienced before; it was as clear as if He was sitting in the chair next to me, having a face to face conversation with me. We carried a conversation about several very important things, but at the end, He asked, "What do you think of Sarah?" I blushingly responded that He surely knew how I felt about her. He then asked me a scandalous question. He asked if I would be interested in marrying her. After a moment of shock, I told the Lord that I wasn't quite sure if I was ready to make a decision of that importance just yet. After reassuring me that He was in this situation and that the choice was completely up to me, I told God that if He thought we were a good match, then yes, I would be willing to marry this beautiful and godly woman. Little did I know that the Lord had spoken to Sarah on a separate occasion and had also given her an invitation towards marriage to me, two weeks earlier than this experience I had.
Long story short, through a series of profound and unusual happenings, the Lord brought the two of us together as man and wife on June 9, 2012. It was an exhilarating and crazy experience, yet in hindsight, I could see that the Lord had been preparing both of us for marriage even in the years before we met.
You would think that with all of the signs and direct obvious involvement that God had in bringing us together, that our wedding and honeymoon would be nothing short of glorious. Ha ha ha! Wrong.
Don’t get me wrong, the wedding was fun and it was very special to us. Besides being rather surreal, it was a sacred day, where we made a covenant with one another that could be broken only by death. The reception was also fun, besides my discovery in front of my friends and family that my dancing skills are not as impressive as I had initially hoped. On the way out of the wedding; however, Sarah got pretty sick and didn’t really feel better for a few days.
But! We had a private log cabin to look forward to in the mountains of Tennessee, and we could at least be excited about that. Upon arriving the next evening, we quickly discovered that there was something not quite right about this cabin. Physically speaking, the cabin was gorgeous. It smelled good, had a hot tub, and a view of the mountains. But there was more to the decorations than just that. As we settled in, we realized that there were fairies everywhere. Yes, fairies. Paintings of fairies, fairy dolls, and fairy sculptures. While not overly enthusiastic about having to spend a week with Tinkerbell’s relatives watching me, it was a minor detail that could be overlooked. What could not be overlooked, however; was the deep uneasiness we felt while in the cabin.
After feeling a little like something bad was going to happen, we decided to pray and ask God to help bring peace into the cabin. As we prayed, we began to feel very afraid, and things started moving in the cabin without us touching them. We heard footsteps on the stairs going up and down and what had been a silent cabin just moments ago began to creak and come to life. Needless to say, it wasn’t a place we wanted to spend our honeymoon. We promptly left, and drove back to Michigan and camped on a beach, which was, actually, quite fun. So much for the honeymoon in the mountains though.
My Happily Ever After
Ever since, I’ve been learning how to do life with another human being who has wants and hopes and dreams, and who disagrees with me on many things. While we fell in love just as anyone else does with all of the feelings and smiles, we are married just like anyone else, with tensions and disagreements. That’s not to say that marriage is only made up of tensions and disagreements; it actually is made up of what you and your spouse will put into it. I can say honestly that the last two years with my wife have been the best of my life, but I know not everyone shares that same opinion on the first years of their marriage. Your experience can depend on a lot of factors, many of which are decided by you and your future spouse. Sarah and I make a lot, and I mean a lot, of mistakes, but we have learned to forgive each other quickly, just as God forgives us quickly of our sin towards Him. An attitude of humility can change everything.
Love. Some cherish it like gold. Others carelessly toss it around like a frisbee. Hollywood block busters tinker with it. Little girls dream about it. Some girls jump in and out of relationships as if they're dancing to the Hokey Pokey.
But LOVE is so much more than chocolate candies, spontaneous date nights, or fluffy chick flicks. Love is holding the bucket when your best friend is throwing up.
Love is making beautiful things out of horrid messess.
LOVE doesn't happen over night, or in an instantanous onscreen movie kiss. Love is a story that takes a lifetime to unfold. The biggest example we have of love on earth, is marriage.
Some of us are still waiting for it.
Some of us are elated by the sparkling engagement ring on our finger.
And others have been plowing their way through marriage for years.
I've asked three people with unique stories, to share from their vantage point about this thing called LOVE.
You'll meet a patient princesess who is waiting in the tower, and an elated Carrie Underwood fan who just said, "Yes!" to her dreamy boyfriend.
But our first story is from a GUY, whose been married a few years now. When I met Josh & his adorable wife Sarah, I couldn't help but notice how in love they were. But not just with each other. They were in love with everybody! I knew they had a story to share...