Since Eric and I will be celebrating nine years of marriage in just a couple days, I thought I’d share a bit of our story…
My husband and I didn’t meet until I was 27 years old. I had a couple relationships before I met my husband, but I was single for four years before we met. Had I known that he was coming, I would’ve been a lot more patient in waiting…
To explain how Eric and I met, I need to go back to my time of singleness…during my time of singleness, I was not a very patient person. I didn’t want to be single. I watched my older sister get married at 21, and then my younger sister at 19. I watched numerous other friends get married before me, and it wasn’t easy. I started feeling like I’d never find the one for me, but I was determined to do what I could to try and help the situation along. I started attending a new church at the invitation of a friend. It didn’t start out as a way to meet men, but it turned into that. I quickly found out that the church was mostly made up of other people my age, and a lot of single men. I thought that I had hit the jackpot. I was sure that I’d find my husband there. If I couldn’t find him in a church filled with dozens of single Christian men, where would I find him? Unfortunately, my focus at that time was not on Christ, but it was on meeting guys, manipulating situations so that I was spending more time with those guys, and trying to see if there was a connection with any of them. I wanted to find a husband so badly, my thoughts were consumed with it.
At the same time I was attending this church in the city, I was also attending a church in the suburbs where I lived. I had started attending that church at the invitation of my sister. I started out going to a Bible study there with her, and then eventually attended services on Sunday morning. So, I would attend church in the suburbs on Sunday morning, and then I would attend church in the city in the evening. The church in the suburbs was my time to focus on Christ, and the church in the city was my time to find a husband.
After quite a while of attending both churches, my mother and I got the opportunity to travel to Africa on a medical mission trip. After much prayer, we both decided that the Lord wanted us to go, so we went. We spent two weeks in Africa, and those two weeks changed my life. I came home refreshed and on fire for God. One of the many things that changed in me was how I felt about my singleness. It was no longer a burden to me but a blessing. I now truly believed that God had me in this time for a reason and that I needed to trust Him with my time. I knew I needed to stop chasing after a husband and start chasing after God. I knew that when the time was right, God would bring the right man into my life, and I wouldn’t have to chase him.
When we came home from Africa, I also knew that I needed to decide on a church home. I couldn’t keep going back and forth between churches and not commit to one. I knew I needed to decide which church God wanted me to be a part of. The first time I attended the church in the suburbs after our trip, I just felt the presence of God there with me. I felt at peace…I felt home. When I attended the church in the city, I was surrounded by dozens of friends, but I felt alone. I knew that I had been going there for the wrong reasons and it was time to move on. Being only human, I was honestly a bit worried. How would I find a husband at the suburban church when it was full of established families? I hadn’t even met a single man there yet!
The thought was fleeting.
I trusted God with my singleness and my future. I knew nothing would stop Him from bringing the right man in my life if that’s what was meant for me. I knew I had to move forward in faith and trust. So, I decided to commit my time to the suburban church and stop worrying about finding a husband. It was so freeing. I felt so at peace and felt such tremendous joy. I knew that no matter what was going to happen, God would have His hand in it and I needed to trust Him.
It was only weeks after I came home from Africa and made my decision about which church would be my home when I met Eric. Only weeks! And where did I meet him? Church! I met him in the very church where I didn’t think I’d meet anyone. Now some people would say that it was just a happy accident, or fate, but I know that it was all God. God was waiting for me to relinquish control to Him. He was waiting for me to be ready.
Eric and I pretty much had a whirlwind romance. Shortly after we met, we started dating, and I knew after the first date that he was the man I was going to marry. It was as if God created him just for me. He was everything I was looking for in a husband. Within seven months we were engaged, and then we were married another seven months later in the very church where we met. We’ve now been married for nine years and have two beautiful daughters. We’ve even dedicated our daughters to God in the same church where Eric and I met and were married. What a legacy! Yes, I had to wait 28 years before I would get married, but it was well worth the wait! I am now married to the man of my dreams, and I think he’s the best one out there. Sorry ladies, he’s taken!
Happy anniversary sweetheart! Thank you for choosing me!