Photo by Shining Light Photography
I knew the stereotype for college about dating/hook-ups, etc., so before I started college I prayed that God would protect me from that. I prayed that the Holy Spirit wouldn’t let me open my heart to anyone unless it was my husband. Sometimes I would meet guys in class or at work and see qualities that I was looking for and would ask Jesus, “If this is not the one, take him away.”
And God was faithful. Boys dropped out of class, quit jobs, or in some other way God removed them from my life. I didn’t go on any dates in college; guys would ask and I would say no because the Lord was protecting me for so much more. My friends were all going out and it was hard to explain why I wasn’t. I would get made fun of; people wouldn’t understand. But God would always remind me, “It’s not theirs to understand.”
In April of my sophomore year, I sat in Starbucks and wrote a list of 20 things I wanted my husband to be, and I prayed over each one of these 20 things every day for a year. While making that list, I replaced the shallow “attractive, over 6’ 2”, great teeth” to the Holy Spirit-led “loves God more than he loves me” and prayed, “Father, allow me to marry a man with rich spiritual heritage.”
After praying over that list for a full year, I felt the Lord say, “Quit worrying over something I have already taken care of.” So, with reluctant obedience, I stopped praying over the list daily, and one month later, I met the man I am now engaged to marry. He and I were both planning to go on the same mission trip and his brother and my sister were also going on the trip. His sister set up a “coffee date” before our trip to Haiti so that we could meet and “get to know each other” before leaving. But I only saw him as a friend during the “coffee date” and this was the way I felt throughout the mission trip—he was just a friend. I was so used to protecting my heart that I wouldn’t even pretend to let anyone in.
When we got back, he asked me on a date. I prayed about it and Jesus said, “YES!” This was my first YES from God about a man, and I knew this meant he was going to be my husband. I knew that I needed to tell him the journey that the Holy Spirit had taken me on and that I was dating with intention, not just because I was bored. Although I was nervous about telling him that, he said he had known he was going to marry me since the “coffee date!”
After dating 10 months, we got engaged. Sometime later I found the list of the 20 things I wanted my husband to be and read through each item again. My fiancé far exceeded everything on the list—even the physical characteristics I failed to mention on that list. I put my full trust in God and continually asked for His guidance, and God did not disappoint me—He exceeded my expectations.
God is a faithful and good Father and He delights to give His children the desires of their hearts. So if you are still waiting on your “one,” don’t settle because you are getting restless, but REST in the promise that God has already written your story. He will bring the exact one He has chosen for you at the right time—because waiting for my One was worth more than anything in the world.
A Million God Stories is a Christ-centered ministry which offers a platform for Christians from all streams of Christian faith to give praise for how God has worked in their lives. Christ heals in infinitely creative ways and we acknowledge that His way of helping may differ from person to person.
