You know how life has different seasons, where there seems to be a theme or lesson that keeps popping up? Well, the year I met my husband was definitely a season of surrender.
Before we met, I had been dealing with a really toxic situation at work for almost a year.
I reached a point where I just couldn't take it anymore and decided to trust that if it was meant for me to stay, God would show me how to cope. Within a month, a friend told me about a job opening, and soon after, I found myself accepting a new position.
Motivated by this, I decided to try the same approach out on my love life, which frankly, needed some divine guidance.
One day, I said out loud, “I’m leaving my love life in your hands, God. I want someone who loves me for me, without me having to compromise or change who I am unless it’s your plan.”
And then, in a way that I least expected, the love story God wrote just for me started to unfold.
A few months into my new job, a coworker invited me out with a group of his friends. He was a true southern gentleman -- nice and easy to talk to, and we’d previously worked together on projects, so I felt good about accepting his invite.
That night turned out to be so much fun, the kind where you can just be yourself and relax.
After hanging out a few more times with him and his friends, I started to realize there was a little something there. I was not interested in workplace romance, so I tried my best to shut the thought down. I really tried!
Then, one weekend, just the two of us went out. We ended up sharing an order of beignets in a quaint little town just outside the city.
An older guy sitting nearby thought we were on a date and started giving us marriage advice, which was awkward but also kind of hilarious.
As we cooled off from the Atlanta heat in a nearby shop, I got nervous for the first time around him—so nervous my hands started sweating! Then he took my hand, and told me he was attracted to me but had tried to keep it professional. I felt so relieved because the feeling was obviously mutual.
We decided to take things easy, see where things led, no pressure. And here's how that went:
The year I met my husband taught me a valuable lesson: the life and love we long for—the life God intends for us—lies on the other side of surrender. Letting go and trusting the unknown is scary, but God does his best work in us when we relinquish our plans for His. I'm living proof of the power of faith and surrender.
::Hugs::
