When God Writes Your Love Story

The majority of young ladies today are involved in the "dating game."  They enjoy themselves now - having fun and developing their social status by who they date.  Then one day after years of trying different people, breaking up and broken hearts, they realize that they are tired of just dating and want to be married.  Or perhaps for some girls marriage was the goal all along - unfortunately they've probably kissed a lot of frogs - none of which turned into a Prince Charming.  They feel that it is up to them to find their spouse. After all,  how will you ever meet someone if you don't date around?   What are you supposed to do in the meantime?  Just wait?

Recently I have been able to hear the beautiful (and on-going) love story of a dear Brother and Sister in the Lord, Joshua and Karen.   This wonderful and godly couple are now engaged to be married - but they didn't date.  They let God write their love story. 

What did Joshua and Karen do with their years of singleness?  They spent their time serving God, trusting in Him and in His timing.  Karen put it so beautifully in a letter she wrote to me, and has been so kind to allow me to quote her in this article, 

"Purity of mind and heart is as important as physical purity. To guard our thoughts is also a way in which we can honor God.  But to wait in Him, ah, what a liberty, it enables you to serve others better, to love others unconditionally, to love and serve Him not for the things you ask Him to give to you and He graciously gives, but also when His answer is, "not now dear child, wait.'' He truly knows when we're ready to embrace a new gift, and such a gift that involves such a great responsibility, self-sacrifice and endurance. The sooner we understand that marriage is not just about me and my dreams, the better." - Karen

Joshua and Karen both allowed themselves to be servants of God, and their goal in life was to glorify Him.   While they served God and others, God was preparing them for the time when He would bring them together.   

"I have no doubt of his commitment and love for the Lord, his passion for the Gospel challenges me every-time and inspires me to be bold in proclaiming the faith; God has really used Josh, before our courtship and now to minister to my life and show me what He really wants from us, how He wants us to live our lives in Christ."  - Karen

Even when God finally did bring Joshua and Karen together they still chose to continue to guard their hearts and wait on God by chosing courtship instead of dating (Recommended reading: "Before You Meet Price Charming" by Sarah Mally and "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Joshua Harris).  For those of you who are unfamiliar with courtship (*makes mental note to write an article on it later*), it is basically begining a relationship with the intention of pursuing of marriage.   There is nothing magical about the word "courtship", and it is more of a heart issue than a set of rules.  Joshua and Karen wanted their relationship to bring honor to God and they wanted their lives to be a testimony of His faithfulness and grace - that is what truly makes their relationship so special.

I shared a small part of Joshua and Karen's story with you today because her words have been such an encouragement and inspiration to me, and I am sure they will bless many others as well. 

"Its such a precious thing to wait on the Lord sister, I feel like i'm an expectator of my own love story, it is like I never had the pen to write it, so I never knew how everything was going to be; and so I find myself being surprised along the way with His provision, with the amazing peace He has placed in my heart, so much confidence in the fact that He chose the best man for me, I really could have never been able, nor in a million years, to choose a better mate for me. I love him, and is such a peaceful joy to know he loves me too.

Trusting the Lord who has been writing this story so far, the next steps that we must take are going to be a perfect way to learn to wait in Him and for His perfect time."  - Karen

May God richly bless the two of you as you embark on this exciting new chapter of your lives!