For Such a Time as This

Do you know anyone who launches into a 15 minute monologue and then casually remarks “Well, to make a long story short….”?
You’re left to stand there and yawn, thinking- Wait. That was the short version?? What the heck did the long version sound like??

Well, I’ve truly got a long story but I’m only giving you the abridged version. If you ever want to grab a coffee (actually, let’s make it dinner because the story has a LOT of details), we’ll go over all of the intricacies that make this story wonderful.crazy.amazing. Until then, here are the very abbreviated chapter titles and you can read between the lines until we meet.  
As most of you who follow this little blog know, my longterm, 3+ decade marriage officially and legally ended last month. As anyone who has divorced knows, the marriage doesn’t really end on that day. The truth is, it dies a slow death for a long, long time before a judge says it is over.
My ex-husband knew the marriage was dead WAY before I did…or maybe he just faced it long before. In any event, since April 2015, I was living alone; coping, healing and wondering what in the hell happened (sorry, but that about sums it up….). Let me rephrase that. I KNEW what happened but I was in disbelief that we had actually used up every ounce of second, third, fourth and fiftieth chances.

During that year, I was also staying busy (in positive ways!). Go ME!! I enrolled in bible college and threw myself into several responsibilities that would keep my mind focused on anything other than a failed marriage. My future sort of played out when I wasn’t even looking~ that’s how awesome God is. You see, for as long as I can remember, I prayed for a husband who loved God before all things. There is something inside of me that knew that’s what I needed and knew that’s what God wanted for me. Did I envision my ex-husband finding God on a whole new level and changing? I did. Is that what happened? It isn’t.
I had been the spiritual leader in my home for a very long time and Christians know that’s not how women are designed. Something in my spirit longed for a man who would lead me, who would love me without condition, who would share my same idea of morals and would have the same life goals as I had. It’s important to say that my ex-husband and I grew up together, had beautiful kids together and now share the most amazing newborn grandson together. We just weren’t able to share life together anymore; too much had happened and too little had been repaired.
Anyway, one night at bible college, an energetic and ridiculously knowledgable theologian taught a class and though I didn’t take notice of anything but his boundless energy and enthusiasm for teaching, I looked forward to him teaching the following week. He inspired me. He inspired everyone in the class, I’m guessing, because we all aced his course! Instead of stopping at just teaching the course material, he opened his home to study groups several times and it was there, among classmates, that I got to know him a little better. Then, because of my past Assimilation experience as a church staff member and his responsibilities at the time being heavy Assimilation, he asked me to be part of a volunteer team he was creating.  A friendship was birthed. Pure and without any motive on either side. I sincerely thank God that we started right there. Our conversations were about creating opportunities for people to join connect groups, about welcoming church visitors and getting them  plugged in, about bible college, and about nurturing relationships within our church family.
And on a particularly difficult weekend in January, I texted him to simply ask for prayer. He is a Pastor and had become a friend. He did the most amazing thing on my behalf; he responded that he was in prayer for my situation and had also forwarded my text to our Pastors for them to pray, as well. I was safe with him. Every single person who comes to him is safe~ I’ve seen it demonstrated time and time again for months.

In March, this amazing man asked me to lunch and we knew. He and I both knew it from that moment. We have amazing peace with one another despite chaos, character attacks, disappointments and hurts from the outside world. We fit. We put God first and we respond accordingly. We don’t apologize to anyone and we are blessed by those who celebrate with us…. thankfully, there are SO many. I’m overwhelmed by his friends acceptance of me and his family embracing me with open arms.

I thank God that He gave me this man who honors, loves and blesses me in countless ways. He is answered prayer~ a man who loves God above all else. I fall more deeply in love with him every day; when I watch him with his granddaughter, when I see him minister to a hurting family and when he prays for my kids and his. It’s a million tiny, beautiful things he does and says every day. Every day, I’m reminded of that first time Dr. Barker taught that course and how I was drawn to him on a level that is unexplainable in the natural. God was showing me “Look. He is here. What you need and what your spirit has longed for is here for such a time as this. Your time is now.”

We are newlyweds. I am proud to be this Pastors wife. I am humbled. I am blessed.
I thank you for celebrating with us and for praying over us.