Ever since I was a little girl, I knew marriage was a big
deal. I think as kids we just know because we hear grown-ups talk about it. I
watched as Ariel fell in love with Eric and Cinderella fell in love with Prince
Charming. I saw how they looked at each other and how they would do anything to be together. I also knew that a wedding was a big deal. Honestly, for the longest
time, the three things that stuck out to me about weddings were: everyone
dressed fancy, the bride and groom kissed, and they ate cake. I guess as a kid,
it’s normal for those things to stand out.
I also had a slight large obsession with Barbie
dolls. I was one of those kids who had the whole town set up in my playroom and
bedroom and I knew each of their names and what they liked to do. I was also
pretty picky with my Barbies. I only had 3-4 guy dolls (except when I would
take my brothers GI Joes because they had more muscles). So needless to say, not all of my Barbies
could get married. They had to fall in love first, which usually meant they
would spend some time driving around town in their pink convertible going to get
ICEEs, or going to the pool for a swim, or just hanging outside on the back
porch. Of course, as a child, I really
had no idea what it meant to fall in love. I knew that I loved my mom and dad,
but I also knew that I loved chocolate ice cream and kittens and riding my scooter. But ever since I was a little girl, I knew that when I grew up I wanted to fall in
love and get married. I knew that boys had cooties and things like that, but I
was pretty sure that they would outgrow those by the time they became adults. I
mean, my mom and dad were married, so I figured he had to have outgrown them.
So, I grew up. Yes, there were several heartbreaks
throughout the years, but I knew that if God wanted me to be married, He would
place that man in my life. In high school, I heard so many people say, “pray
for your husband; pray for his heart; pray for where he is right now.” So, I
began to do just that. However, it really wasn’t until the summer before my
sophomore year of college when I really began to pray for the man I was going
to marry. I had been praying over the years, but it wasn’t until then that I
began to pray more specifically. I would pray things like, “God, I pray that
you would watch over my future husband tonight,” or “God, I pray that you would
protect his heart from the enemy and that you would guide his words and
thoughts.” I would even pray, “God, I pray that my husband will want a big
family like I do and that he will want to adopt one day.” I cried out to God
and I promised Him that I would not date again until it was the man I was going
to marry.
Sophomore year rolled around and what do you know, Dalton
came around. He had actually been around freshmen year, but we started to take
interest in each other and started hanging out more and more. I thought I had
freaked him out when I told him that I wasn’t going to date someone until it
was the person I was going to marry, but thankfully he felt the same way. Whew!
What an answered prayer! Over the next four and a half years, my prayers were
answered and God even surpassed what I could have ever imagined. He brought a
man into my life that loved and admired Him. He brought a man into my life that
loved and respected me. He brought someone
into my life who was goal-oriented and a hard worker. He brought a man into my
life who loved people and loved serving others. He brought someone into my life
who I could talk to for hours and laugh with until we could hardly breathe. He
brought a man who believed in me, encouraged me, and prayed with me. He brought
someone into my life who wanted the best for the both of us. And, as a huge
plus, he brought a man into my life who wanted to have a big family AND wanted
to adopt one day. God showed me just how incredibly faithful He is.
I have known that I was going to marry Dalton for the past 4
years. Some may think that is crazy, but I knew after just a few months of
dating, that he was the one. (And he’s probably the only person on this planet
that can and will listen to me ramble on and on for hours). A month ago, when
he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife, I couldn’t believe it was
actually happening. I’ve dreamed of that day ever since I was young. It was
more than anything I could have ever imagined. In the beauty of it all, being
together and being so in love, I thanked God for hearing and answering my
prayers.
We have grown so much together and have grown so much alike
over the past couple of years. Yes, we have differences and we both know that
neither of us are perfect. We disagree at times and get into arguments.
However, we do know that God’s grace is abundant and that He continues to
remain faithful to us. We know that marriage is a commitment and that we have
to work together. Of course, this whole marriage thing is new to us, but
thankfully we’ve got some pretty awesome people in our lives to look to for
encouragement, prayer and advice. Most importantly, the Lord is apart of our
relationship and soon-to-be marriage. My prayers continue for my future husband,
who now has a name. I not only pray for him, but I pray that I will be the
godly wife that I need to be for him and for our marriage. I’m writing all of
this to share how God has been faithful and how He is continuing to work, but
I’m also writing this to ask for your prayers and we begin a life together. We can't wait to start a life together!
Oh, and like I said earlier: I guess all it took to fall in
love was a ride around town in a pink convertible to get ICEEs (but I guess
riding around in a grey Altima to get Frosty’s works just the same).
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