How easily can you see the hand of God in your life? It’s not always easy, and for many in the world today, it seems impossible. Looking back on life, I am able to see where God has put people and circumstances in place for my good. I have endured many trials and tragedies, and the mere fact that I have made it as far as I have in life, in and of itself, is evidence of God’s love and protection. I cannot count the number of times I’ve been asked how Greg and I met. I’m feeling nudged to tell you all the story, because it is one of the most blatant examples I have of God’s hand at work in my life. It is a beautiful description of what can happen in our lives when we get out of God’s way and simply trust His path.

For several months, I carried an unshakeable feeling that I was “waiting for the other shoe to drop” on my head. Considering the sheer volume of shoes that had already dropped in life, this should have been par for the course, but this time felt different. This time it felt bigger and the shoe I was anticipating felt much heavier. In hindsight, it turned out that there were several shoes coming my way, some the heaviest I’d ever encountered. Over the course of a year and a half, I would endure more losses and blessings than I ever could have imagined or anticipated.

From the beginning of my life, God made sure I never fell through the wrong cracks. Sure, I made some incredibly bad choices along the way, but He even managed to help me move beyond those times, as well. There is only one person in the world who knows literally all of my ups and downs, my successes and massive failures. You see, I spent most of my life feeling alone, surviving one crisis after another, building up more walls than a million dollar mansion. Through all of those horrendous years, I continued to wish and pray for a sister.

Somehow I knew that sisterhood was something special. To have a sister was to have someone you knew would always be there, would always love you, would always forgive you, and would always keep your secrets safe, while doing what they could to protect you in whatever way possible. To have a sister was to never be alone in the world. So that was always my biggest wish. Long after I’d grown up enough to realize it was way past too late for that wish to come true, God did what only God can do…the impossible. He gave me a sister.

Though I didn’t realize it at the time, this was my first real experience with the power of prayer and faith. I’d always had a feeling deep inside that I was supposed to have a sister. I never gave much thought to it, but looking back I can see that I not only believed I was supposed to have a sister, but I believed that I did have one, and someday God would bring us together. The fact that I continued to ask God for a sister, but also BELIEVED He would bring me one during my lifetime, was a prime example of how faith and prayer work together. Recently I was listening to my favorite Christian author discuss the importance of faith in our prayer life. She said that it was vital that we not just ask God for our hearts desires, but we must also believe that He will give us what we desire at the right time, as long as it’s for our good. It is only in this state of faith we are able to have real peace.

Oftentimes, when we don’t get the things we are praying for so diligently, we begin to lose faith and question whether or not we will actually get those things. We do not understand how important it is that we learn to “wait well” and trust that God is working everything out. I believe that we sometimes have to wait for the things we want the most, because God is teaching us patience, while at the same time, He is helping us grow in our faith. We live in a modern world full of instant gratification. This is something that the enemy uses to keep us impatient and to weaken our faith in God and His promises.

This is where my mind was settled when I chose to relocate my life in order to stay close to the sister I’d been given. I moved at the end of April 2018, and within a couple of weeks I started attending church just down the road. On my first Sunday there, I filled out a “Connections” card (something that typically would NOT do) and dropped it in the collection plate as it passed. Within a couple of weeks, there was a knock at my door, and again I made a choice quite out of character for me…I opened the door. There stood two lovely ladies (Polly & June), ready to welcome me to the church family.

I talked with them for a long while, all of us having a good “get to know you” session. When asked I told them no, I wasn’t married, but if God chose to bring the right person into my life, I would go with His flow, so to speak. As we continued talking, Polly had gotten really quiet until she suddenly took an audible breath in and said, “Greg….I need to introduce you to Greg!” It was such a sudden turn in the conversation, I was caught very off guard. All I could say in response was, “Okaaaayyy…” From that point on, my precious new friend was tenacious in her efforts to make the connection between me and Greg.

Finally, one Sunday, when she discovered that he was still out of town visiting family, Polly told me to find Greg on Facebook…so I did. I sent him a friend request, and also a message introducing myself and telling him that Polly suggested we connect. I added that I was new in the area, and having a new friend would be a blessing. Now, let me be clear that this action was yet another that was extremely out of character for me, and I thought my sister would have a stroke when I told her what I’d done! I didn’t hear back from him for a full week, but the last Sunday in June I received a response to my message.

We spent the next week communicating and getting to know each other via the messenger app, and by the next Saturday evening, we were both sincerely looking forward to meeting each other in person. So, on July 1, 2018, we finally met face to face in the fellowship hall between services at church. To be honest, I had long ago given up hope that I’d ever meet someone I’d truly love and want to marry. However, earlier that year I was overwhelmed with a feeling in the pit of my stomach that God would soon be bringing the man He intended for me. I didn’t feel anxious about it or in any kind of a hurry. I just felt calm and peaceful, and I felt perfectly content to let whatever was coming my way unfold at God’s chosen pace.

Well, when I was finally face to face with the now infamous Greg, I experienced something I’d never experienced before…as soon as we shook hands, it was as if the rest of the world around us faded away. We stood there together in our own private bubble, just smiling at each other like a couple of goofballs. Soon, we made our way into the sanctuary and sat down in the same row, keeping one seat open between us, as it seemed the proper thing to do at the time. During the entire service I had one word repeating over and over in my mind…love. I asked my sister if that was weird, and she said, “It probably should be, but in this case, it really isn’t.”

I’ve been sitting beside that wonderful man every Sunday since then, and I can honestly say I’ve never had a single moment of doubt that I am exactly where and with the person God wants me to be. I have been blessed with a depth of love and connection I long ago stopped believing was possible, and just as He did with my sister, God did the impossible and brought that unimaginable love and connection to my life.

“Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor’s] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.” James 1:12 AMP