Reason #548
I know I pretty much wrote about this yesterday, but I want to write about it again tonight. You know I love to reminisce, so I'm going to take just one more night to do so.
Aaron and I met on July 22, 2012. Most of you know the story, but I'm going to recount it. And maybe, you don't know all of the details so you might learn something new. Anyway, it's just fun for me to think about. A little crazy, too. One year...my, how things can change in a year.
So as you know from last night, my cousin had texted me to see if I'd be interested in meeting a friend of hers. I know this might sound a little odd, but I'll share it anyway. I had gotten to the point where I was really ready to start getting back into the dating scene, but I felt like I had no way to enter it. Plus, no one was pursuing me and I was positive that no one ever would. And so my mom finally encouraged me to just pray about it. After all, she said, the Lord knew my heart so I might as well talk to Him about it. The night before Amber texted me, I wrote in my prayer journal that when the Lord was ready, I was. I didn't really think He'd act that quickly. And I just have to say, the Lord works in mysterious ways, and He does things differently for each of us. There is no set way to how He meets our desires, but this was how it happened for me. Anyway, I half expected something to come along and so I was shocked when I got her text message. I realized this was what I had asked for, and so I accepted the offer. I figured she'd have to go back and convince this guy to meet me. Little did I know, he was right there the whole time we were conversing and had already accepted the offer, too.
I hate doing things by myself, and a blind date was not one of those things I wanted to do. I needed a little support and encouragement, and most of all, I really needed it to go well. It didn't take long for me to start second guessing my decision. I went to bed that night thinking about it, woke up the next morning full of nervous anxiety, and truthfully, I just wanted it to be over and done. I just wanted to meet this guy so he could see me and prove me right by deciding that he didn't like me or want to have a thing to do with me. I could stop worrying about it, and I could stop stressing over another potential opportunity to be rejected. I Facebook stalked him all day, which was of no help. I didn't really know anyone else who knew him, so I had no idea how this was going to go. Saturday night, my mom came over and helped me scour through my closet to find the right outfit. I wanted to look nice, but not like I was trying. I wanted to be cute and appropriate for the occasion, and I wanted to make a good first impression since those are always important. I sat through church looking at my watch. As each minute ticked down, I got more nervous. What was I thinking? I told myself that this was just a lunch. No big deal. In a few hours, I would be home and it would be over. I would never have to do it again if it didn't work. Plus, this was an easy out. This wasn't really a "date."
I showed up to Orlando's to meet my cousin and her family for lunch, and Aaron wasn't there yet. A few minutes passed and he finally came in. I remember what he wore, and I remember feeling incredibly stupid. What was I supposed to say? What was I supposed to do? I didn't even know how to act. I had never ever done this before. We made small, and I mean small, talk. Lunch was pleasant, but I couldn't really say whether or not it went well. We got up to leave, and as we walked outside, I prepared myself for the friendly side hug. He stuck out his hand, shook mine, told me it was nice to meet me and walked off. I was completely confused and a little unsure of what had just happened. It was the most unusual meeting I had ever had. Normally, I seem to click with people and quickly find a common ground. Not so much with this guy. And I could tell he didn't seem too interested either. We drove off and I told myself not to expect to hear anything from him. Oh well, I gave it a shot. Thankfully, it was quick and painless.
He called me that night. He was going out of town and wanted to see if he could call while he was gone. I was a little confused by that too, but more than that, I was really surprised he called. Our initial meeting wasn't really that magical, so I figured he was just going to put in a little extra effort as not to offend our matchmakers. All of the sudden, I found myself talking with this guy that I didn't think even liked me on a nightly basis. He didn't flirt with me, he didn't really seem to be that smitten and so I just decided I'd go along with it. I'd just talk to him like I'd talk to anyone else, keeping my guard up so that after a few weeks, it wouldn't be so bad when he decided it wasn't going to work. But a few weeks came and a few weeks went and here were are today.
No one likes being proved wrong, but I am really glad I was. I am really glad we both were. Because I can't imagine life without Aaron. I can't imagine looking at him without have any sort of feelings at all. I hate the thought of what might have happened had either one of us turned down lunch that day. Sometimes in life, you're given certain opportunities. They usually come when you least expect it, and usually when you don't think you're ready. But you don't always have the chance to take the opportunity again if you pass it up. I'm not saying we wouldn't be married had I chosen not to go to lunch, but that very well could have been a possibility. Who knows where we'd be today had we done things differently. There are times in life when you have that one opportunity to make the right choice. And so you have to just do it. No matter how scary or uncertain it may seem, if you've been asking for it, you have to trust the Lord when He opens a door for you. It's not always easy to walk through it, but there's a reason. I didn't think the reason He opened the door to Aaron was so we could get married. I simply thought it was going to be the opportunity to just get my feet wet again. Couldn't be more thankful I had it all wrong. So don't pass them up. When you're given certain one time opportunities, take them. Be brave, and trust that God will see you through it, whatever it may be. Because although you don't know what will come from it, He does. And if you're following the Lord, being obedient and seeking His will, any door He opens for you is bound to be a good one.
#548 - For a God who opens doors to good things.
"I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” - Psalm 16:2
Aaron and I met on July 22, 2012. Most of you know the story, but I'm going to recount it. And maybe, you don't know all of the details so you might learn something new. Anyway, it's just fun for me to think about. A little crazy, too. One year...my, how things can change in a year.
So as you know from last night, my cousin had texted me to see if I'd be interested in meeting a friend of hers. I know this might sound a little odd, but I'll share it anyway. I had gotten to the point where I was really ready to start getting back into the dating scene, but I felt like I had no way to enter it. Plus, no one was pursuing me and I was positive that no one ever would. And so my mom finally encouraged me to just pray about it. After all, she said, the Lord knew my heart so I might as well talk to Him about it. The night before Amber texted me, I wrote in my prayer journal that when the Lord was ready, I was. I didn't really think He'd act that quickly. And I just have to say, the Lord works in mysterious ways, and He does things differently for each of us. There is no set way to how He meets our desires, but this was how it happened for me. Anyway, I half expected something to come along and so I was shocked when I got her text message. I realized this was what I had asked for, and so I accepted the offer. I figured she'd have to go back and convince this guy to meet me. Little did I know, he was right there the whole time we were conversing and had already accepted the offer, too.
I hate doing things by myself, and a blind date was not one of those things I wanted to do. I needed a little support and encouragement, and most of all, I really needed it to go well. It didn't take long for me to start second guessing my decision. I went to bed that night thinking about it, woke up the next morning full of nervous anxiety, and truthfully, I just wanted it to be over and done. I just wanted to meet this guy so he could see me and prove me right by deciding that he didn't like me or want to have a thing to do with me. I could stop worrying about it, and I could stop stressing over another potential opportunity to be rejected. I Facebook stalked him all day, which was of no help. I didn't really know anyone else who knew him, so I had no idea how this was going to go. Saturday night, my mom came over and helped me scour through my closet to find the right outfit. I wanted to look nice, but not like I was trying. I wanted to be cute and appropriate for the occasion, and I wanted to make a good first impression since those are always important. I sat through church looking at my watch. As each minute ticked down, I got more nervous. What was I thinking? I told myself that this was just a lunch. No big deal. In a few hours, I would be home and it would be over. I would never have to do it again if it didn't work. Plus, this was an easy out. This wasn't really a "date."
I showed up to Orlando's to meet my cousin and her family for lunch, and Aaron wasn't there yet. A few minutes passed and he finally came in. I remember what he wore, and I remember feeling incredibly stupid. What was I supposed to say? What was I supposed to do? I didn't even know how to act. I had never ever done this before. We made small, and I mean small, talk. Lunch was pleasant, but I couldn't really say whether or not it went well. We got up to leave, and as we walked outside, I prepared myself for the friendly side hug. He stuck out his hand, shook mine, told me it was nice to meet me and walked off. I was completely confused and a little unsure of what had just happened. It was the most unusual meeting I had ever had. Normally, I seem to click with people and quickly find a common ground. Not so much with this guy. And I could tell he didn't seem too interested either. We drove off and I told myself not to expect to hear anything from him. Oh well, I gave it a shot. Thankfully, it was quick and painless.
He called me that night. He was going out of town and wanted to see if he could call while he was gone. I was a little confused by that too, but more than that, I was really surprised he called. Our initial meeting wasn't really that magical, so I figured he was just going to put in a little extra effort as not to offend our matchmakers. All of the sudden, I found myself talking with this guy that I didn't think even liked me on a nightly basis. He didn't flirt with me, he didn't really seem to be that smitten and so I just decided I'd go along with it. I'd just talk to him like I'd talk to anyone else, keeping my guard up so that after a few weeks, it wouldn't be so bad when he decided it wasn't going to work. But a few weeks came and a few weeks went and here were are today.
No one likes being proved wrong, but I am really glad I was. I am really glad we both were. Because I can't imagine life without Aaron. I can't imagine looking at him without have any sort of feelings at all. I hate the thought of what might have happened had either one of us turned down lunch that day. Sometimes in life, you're given certain opportunities. They usually come when you least expect it, and usually when you don't think you're ready. But you don't always have the chance to take the opportunity again if you pass it up. I'm not saying we wouldn't be married had I chosen not to go to lunch, but that very well could have been a possibility. Who knows where we'd be today had we done things differently. There are times in life when you have that one opportunity to make the right choice. And so you have to just do it. No matter how scary or uncertain it may seem, if you've been asking for it, you have to trust the Lord when He opens a door for you. It's not always easy to walk through it, but there's a reason. I didn't think the reason He opened the door to Aaron was so we could get married. I simply thought it was going to be the opportunity to just get my feet wet again. Couldn't be more thankful I had it all wrong. So don't pass them up. When you're given certain one time opportunities, take them. Be brave, and trust that God will see you through it, whatever it may be. Because although you don't know what will come from it, He does. And if you're following the Lord, being obedient and seeking His will, any door He opens for you is bound to be a good one.
#548 - For a God who opens doors to good things.
"I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing.” - Psalm 16:2
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