I hesitate to spoil the ending for those of you that would love to read this story, or watch this short movie for yourselves...I highly recommend them! Well, I'll generalize my conclusion, the man and woman write back and forth for sometime and start to fall in love; their letters, the mystery and romance behind the identity of the woman and whether in person these two would really be compatible leaves you in suspense. Will love triumph over all obstacles?
1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails... I hold this story close to my heart because it reminds me of my love story with my husband and why the struggle is worth the reward!
In order to understand why my blog is titled, The Book and the Rose, first we must travel back to July 2010...
At that time I was single and didn't have a fabulous boy friend track record, I'm not here to bash anyone, just know that I could have made better choices. Having grown-up in a loving Christian family, I should have known better. I felt like I just kept making the same stupid mistakes, Proverbs 26:11 "As a dog returns to its vomit, so a fool repeats his folly." Some of my family members think this verse is a bit drastic but that's how I felt.
A few months prior, after a couple very difficult lessons, God finally had my attention. It was time and I rededicated my life to Christ, back-sliding was not an option!! I gathered my dusty bible and a few study books and decided I had to know for myself what it meant to LOVE Jesus and why He would choose to die for me!
During this time I made a commitment to God, I was not going to date anyone until He gave me permission...I thought I was in for some very lonely years. Little did I know, He had much bigger and better plans for my future! (as He always does) In September 2010 I had this strange "nudge" and felt compelled to sign-up for eHarmony. I wasn't sure if this was from God so I waited a bit and the "nudge" grew stronger. I prayed about it and asked God, if it was His will that I meet someone to somehow show me.
After filling-out the e Harmony survey you receive 10 "matches" a day...at first it was fun, but if you intend to meet someone that shares your values and really get to know them it's a lot of information! After three weeks of profiles I came across one that caught my attention, Stephen from the Santa Cruz area. We emailed each other for weeks asking each other questions (eHarmony allows you to pick from an array of questions to send to your match) you would never think to ask on a first, second or even third date. (In fact some of the things we learned about each other I'm not sure if some newly married couples even thought to ask these kinds of questions.) After three weeks we finally decided to meet half way, in Pleasanton, CA at the Cheesecake Factory for our first official date!
There was something incredibly special about this man standing before me, he was a strong, intelligent, God fearing man and not to mention extremely handsome! (a definite plus) ;)
We enjoyed each others company already knowing so much about the person sitting across the table, we felt as if we were long lost friends!
A few months went by and I knew that I was falling deeply in love with this man, I had to have confirmation that this was what God wanted for my life. I prayed and cried and asked God to show me that Stephen's heart was in God's hands, and if it wasn't God's will, I was going to walk away...(this idea of submitting to God was foreign to most of the people around me and a lot people really couldn't understand why I would do such a thing, let me tell you every submission to God will bring deep reward!)
The next morning I spoke to Stephen on the phone and he begins the conversation by telling me about the bible study he had done that morning and we discussed what God was trying to teach through the message...I could not help but cry, from joy of course...this was my confirmation!!! Thank you, Lord!!
To this day, I still have moments when I'm thanking God for my husband it brings tears to my eyes...Stephen and I were married October 2011 and are still growing together everyday. :)
Thank you for taking the time to read my story. :)
