It is four weeks until my husband's and my fifth anniversary. Over those next weeks, I think I'm going to write about him. Or... our story. Put down, for the world to see (if they care to), just why I love this man more than I could ever imagine loving anyone to whom I didn't give birth.
Aaron & I met and sparks started flying. Immediately. Let me be the first to tell you, though, they weren't the "romantic, chemistry, I swooned" type of sparks. They were the "Oh my word... God... you want me to marry HIM???????? and I promptly turned my back on him" kind of sparks.
I was not impressed by his first impression.
To hear him tell it, I specifically turned my back to him, excluded him as much as possible. Was flat out rude.
That part is true although I wasn't doing it to be rude but...I can see how he'd think that.
He had come, with his best friend Mike, to borrow my cooler for a guys' night out event Mike had planned for the single guys in our church singles' group. Mike and I had become pretty good friends in the few weeks he'd been attending and I had offered said cooler when Mike first came up with the guys' night idea. They were off to a park to grill and play some baseball. Perfect guys' bonding time...
Aaron & I met and sparks started flying. Immediately. Let me be the first to tell you, though, they weren't the "romantic, chemistry, I swooned" type of sparks. They were the "Oh my word... God... you want me to marry HIM???????? and I promptly turned my back on him" kind of sparks.
I was not impressed by his first impression.
To hear him tell it, I specifically turned my back to him, excluded him as much as possible. Was flat out rude.
That part is true although I wasn't doing it to be rude but...I can see how he'd think that.
He had come, with his best friend Mike, to borrow my cooler for a guys' night out event Mike had planned for the single guys in our church singles' group. Mike and I had become pretty good friends in the few weeks he'd been attending and I had offered said cooler when Mike first came up with the guys' night idea. They were off to a park to grill and play some baseball. Perfect guys' bonding time...
You might have to forgive me. I rabbit trail a LOT. Charles Dickens has nothing on me when it comes or providing detail, let me tell you. However...in the interest of acknowledging this is a blog post, not an American classics novel in the making, I'll try to keep on track...
My apartment at the time had a very small entryway and a few of my friends were hanging out after dinner doing the girl talk thing so when the guys showed up for the cooler, there were suddenly a lot of people in a very small space and I honestly had NOWHERE to go. So...he got my back. However. That was, in part, because of that thought that kept looping through my head... "Oh, God...you can't REALLY want me to marry HIM?????" I knew He was who God intended for me the very second I saw him - and actually all I saw was the top of his head at first. He was looking down as he climbed the stairs.
See...just the weekend before he arrived on my doorstep, I had taken some quality time alone... just God & I... out at Westport. It's my favorite walking beach out here because there aren't a whole lot of people who go out there to lounge on the beach so I generally end up having huge stretches of the beach to myself. I can pray out loud and no one looks at me as if I'm mentally challenged. It's peaceful.
So...there I was, on the beach and at this point, it had been two years since a previous relationship had ended. I was starting to realize that I was single because I chose to be, not because God necessarily intended that for me. It's not as if I "knew" God wanted me married, it was that I wasn't relinquishing control over that part of my life to Him. I was in charge in the man department.
As God pointed this out to me while I was walking, I acquiesced. Ok - I didn't acquiesce so much as crumble before Him. I was so humbled, I was practically sobbing as I handed the reins over to Him and repented for holding onto that, keeping that part of my life from Him. I was telling Him I still didn't trust Him to have my best interests at heart and that was not ok. I realized it that Saturday.
Just about one week later, He seriously rewarded my obedience. I just wasn't all that thrilled with what that looked like. From Saturday to Friday it never occurred to me that something so wonderful would happen so quickly but it's amazing what releasing a dam can do and trust me - I had had that dam on my heart built so tight and so tall it seemed almost impossible that I would let it down.
See...just the weekend before he arrived on my doorstep, I had taken some quality time alone... just God & I... out at Westport. It's my favorite walking beach out here because there aren't a whole lot of people who go out there to lounge on the beach so I generally end up having huge stretches of the beach to myself. I can pray out loud and no one looks at me as if I'm mentally challenged. It's peaceful.
So...there I was, on the beach and at this point, it had been two years since a previous relationship had ended. I was starting to realize that I was single because I chose to be, not because God necessarily intended that for me. It's not as if I "knew" God wanted me married, it was that I wasn't relinquishing control over that part of my life to Him. I was in charge in the man department.
As God pointed this out to me while I was walking, I acquiesced. Ok - I didn't acquiesce so much as crumble before Him. I was so humbled, I was practically sobbing as I handed the reins over to Him and repented for holding onto that, keeping that part of my life from Him. I was telling Him I still didn't trust Him to have my best interests at heart and that was not ok. I realized it that Saturday.
Just about one week later, He seriously rewarded my obedience. I just wasn't all that thrilled with what that looked like. From Saturday to Friday it never occurred to me that something so wonderful would happen so quickly but it's amazing what releasing a dam can do and trust me - I had had that dam on my heart built so tight and so tall it seemed almost impossible that I would let it down.
He's probably going to give me the dirtiest look EVER when he sees this picture. See what happens when you move my pictures onto another hard drive, honey? I find stuff... However. This is him not too long before we met. I can tell you now I find him incredibly handsome. I would not have used that word the first time I saw him, though. Not at all.
However did I fall in love with this man?
Next week...
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