I remember day after day thinking to myself, "How do you know? How do you know who is the right person for you? Who is the right man that God wants you to marry?”
Too many days had been lonely. I might have been surrounded by people, but still feeling alone. I remember days just praying and crying on my way home from work, telling God how alone I was, and that I didn't want it to be this way. Was I supposed to get married some day? If I was...where was the guy? If a guy did come along, how would I know if he was "the one"?
Finally one day I gave up. I gave up my own search for "the one." I realized I needed to focus on me. I needed to try and be happy where I was right then in my life. Why was I so focused on something that hasn't come into my life yet? Why was I searching? I knew that God wanted the best for me, more than I wanted it for myself. He already knew I was lonely. He knew every tear that I would cry before they came down my face. I had to surrender my loneliness and future completely to Him! I still remember it like it was yesterday - the happiness I found when I wasn't searching for "the one" anymore. Yes, still lonely; but happy and assured in the fact that I knew when it was God's time,"the one" would find me.
That day then finally came! When a man by the name of Kent, started texting me. It may have taken a couple tries on his part to get me to actually talk to him (since I'm a little shy and not easy to talk to! haha), but thankfully he didn't didn't stop! I remember days then turning into weeks of texting, and then texting turning into actually talking face to face.
It began to get easier to talk to him, and then we realized all of the things we had in common. Then one day, it hit me! I could just feel it...this was "the one!” I had no question marks in my head...everything felt exactly right! I knew I was going to marry Kent Stetler. But wait...was I crazy? We hadn't even started dating yet!! No, I wasn't crazy! God knew all along that Kent was going to be "the one" for me and he was letting me know that this was the time and this was "the one" that God wanted me to to marry. We dated and everyday was just one more day of God showing me that this was His plan all along. I just needed to wait and surrender it to Him and He took care of the rest!
It was funny as Kent and I talked about things in our lives, we looked back and realized all of the places and events that we had both been at and hadn't even realized that the other one was there. We realized that at a wedding reception, we even sat at the same table, but neither one of us remember the other one being there - just the other people that sat there with us. That was a reminder to me of God's timing! It wasn't time for us to "meet" then!
The day finally came, November 7th, 2015, when Kent and I got married! I have loved every single day of this past year being married to him. Life may not always come easy to us, but I know I wouldn't want anyone else beside me, facing life, besides Kent! I sometimes lay awake at night and just thank God over and over for sending Kent into my life, and for letting me be so lucky to be his wife! God knew best - who was “the one” that I needed, and when I needed “the one” to show up in my life.
So you may be wondering, "How do I know? Who is the one?" It may not end this way for you. No one will have the exact same love story; but the point is, be patient. God knows how you feel. He sees your loneliness. He sees your heart's cry and the tears that may fall down your face. But remember, God knows who you need and when you need them! Who knows? They may be sitting at a table right across from you, but God will let you know in HIS TIME!
