32 Years and Counting

 

A loving God. A determined boy. A clueless girl. That’s how our union began.

Though we had yet to utter a word to one another, he felt certain we were meant to be together. I had no clue. I simply thought he was cute and was thrilled when I learned he was interested in me.

At only 14 and 16, we began our adventure of “going steady”.  I was too young to date so most of our time together consisted of dinners with his family or mine, or hanging out at church and attending youth events.

Because I didn’t know Jesus, the thought of praying for my future husband had never crossed my mind. But daydreaming? Now that’s something I knew well. I spent countless hours thinking about this imaginary boy I would someday marry.

He would be my very own handsome, strong, perfect prince charming – and he’d have nothing better to do than spend his time making me happy. I would be his number one and he would be mine. Someday we’d marry, have a beautiful baby girl and, of course, live happily ever after without a care in the world. Please tell me I wasn’t the only young girl with a dream like that!

I now realize much of my dream resembled nothing more than a head in the clouds fairy tale. An image of love conjured up in my mind based solely on fictional characters and a wannabe celebrity status. A false reality my young, teenage self mistakenly thought to be true.

That’s where I was the day God caused my future husband to notice me. With an innate desire to love and be loved above all else, I hadn’t the slightest inkling as to what love should look like.

When I think back on that time in my life and consider the paths I could have chosen, I struggle to voice the thankfulness I feel.

God knew I needed a good Christian boy in my life.  Because of that boy, I chose to be at church all the time, not just occasionally. Once I started attending church regularly, I began to better understand how much God truly loved me. And eventually, I found my way to Jesus. Isn’t it awesome how God can use a cute boy to lead a clueless girl to Him? I’m forever grateful!

And here we are today – 32 years and counting.

It hasn’t always been an easy journey. Along the way we’ve suffered the loss of jobs, material possessions and financial security; the passing of family and friends dear to our hearts; a heartbreaking miscarriage; various health scares, devastation and disappointments.

But through it all, we’ve learned to lean on God and to remain committed to one another. Even when – especially when – life gets tough. We’ve no doubt God brought us together way back then. We’ve no doubt He continues to do so today. And we are thankful.

Perhaps the dreams of young, starry-eyed girls do sometimes come true.

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2 thoughts on “32 Years and Counting”

  1. ❤️ Happy Love Day ❤️ It is a real life fairy tale though. Every night when you get to crawl in bed, you get 8 hours of God given fairytale land ?

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