Journey into Lightl

For the last two weeks, I have been describing a journey with God in pursuing a relationship with a lovely Christian lady named Adele. But what had looked like it was going somewhere, now looked pretty grim. She had told me a few days earlier that I was just a friend to her. And because she was a here-and-now person she also would not miss me while I went to school back east for the summer. I had left San Bernardino stunned by her disclosure.

By the time I arrived in Warrensburg, Missouri I was depressed. But I didn’t have much time to grieve my loss for I was facing “a summer of hell” as my academic advisor described it. Therefore, I put the relationship on the back burner figuring that this would give me a great opportunity to exit the relationship. But I had not given up all hope and sent her a platonic post card so that she had my address.

To my shocking surprise, a week later I received a 12- page letter describing how much she missed me. She described how she had cried for three days after I left. I remember muttering to God that maybe this relationship wasn’t over after all.

This began a correspondence throughout the long summer. I would write a cryptic post card every two or three days and she would write a letter every day.

God used that summer to build my confidence in her faithfulness and support. I needed her prayers because it truly was “a summer from hell” as I worked night and day to keep up with the homework and papers.

When I returned in August, I had a romance on my hands. We began to talk about the possibility of marriage. As I prayed and looked for evidences of God’s will, all signs pointed toward marriage. However, I wanted to get clear guidance from God from his Word. But it didn’t come.

Therefore, I waited, and waited, and waited. One day in November I got frustrated with God and the waiting. I told him how much I needed his confirmation that marrying Adele was his will. I also did some whining. As I did my weekly bible study later that day, this is what he said to me.

“Have I brought you this far in your relationship and not have marriage in mind? What kind of a God do you think I am? Now, show your faith in Me and propose to her” (Isaiah 66:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). Was I elated! I finally got the go ahead to propose.

I was coached to take her to a special place to ask her to marry me. I chose a nice restaurant in Palm Springs. I was hoping she would say yes that night, but feared that she would need to pray about it. And she did.

It was awkward! She said she wanted to say yes but said she needed to follow my example of seeking God’s guidance through the Bible. I prayed that God would not keep us waiting too long. I feared it would be six weeks or more. How awkward that would be!

However, God was gracious and the next morning she called and said that he told her through her Bible reading that marrying me was a wise decision. That day we announced it to our world. We were married five months later. We now have two grown children and three grandchildren.

This journey with God has continued for 39 years. I consider her God’s greatest gift to me next to Jesus. I have had to continue leaning hard on Jesus for the capacity to nurture, cherish and understand her as God commands us husbands to do. It has been a journey with many struggles, but many more blessings.

For the last two weeks, I have been describing a journey with God in pursuing a relationship with a lovely Christian lady named Adele. But what had looked like it was going somewhere, now looked pretty grim. She had told me a few days earlier that I was just a friend to her. And because she was a here-and-now person she also would not miss me while I went to school back east for the summer. I had left San Bernardino stunned by her disclosure.

By the time I arrived in Warrensburg, Missouri I was depressed. But I didn’t have much time to grieve my loss for I was facing “a summer of hell” as my academic advisor described it. Therefore, I put the relationship on the back burner figuring that this would give me a great opportunity to exit the relationship. But I had not given up all hope and sent her a platonic post card so that she had my address.

To my shocking surprise, a week later I received a 12- page letter describing how much she missed me. She described how she had cried for three days after I left. I remember muttering to God that maybe this relationship wasn’t over after all.

This began a correspondence throughout the long summer. I would write a cryptic post card every two or three days and she would write a letter every day.

God used that summer to build my confidence in her faithfulness and support. I needed her prayers because it truly was “a summer from hell” as I worked night and day to keep up with the homework and papers.

When I returned in August, I had a romance on my hands. We began to talk about the possibility of marriage. As I prayed and looked for evidences of God’s will, all signs pointed toward marriage. However, I wanted to get clear guidance from God from his Word. But it didn’t come.

Therefore, I waited, and waited, and waited. One day in November I got frustrated with God and the waiting. I told him how much I needed his confirmation that marrying Adele was his will. I also did some whining. As I did my weekly bible study later that day, this is what he said to me.

“Have I brought you this far in your relationship and not have marriage in mind? What kind of a God do you think I am? Now, show your faith in Me and propose to her” (Isaiah 66:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:13). Was I elated! I finally got the go ahead to propose.

I was coached to take her to a special place to ask her to marry me. I chose a nice restaurant in Palm Springs. I was hoping she would say yes that night, but feared that she would need to pray about it. And she did.

It was awkward! She said she wanted to say yes but said she needed to follow my example of seeking God’s guidance through the Bible. I prayed that God would not keep us waiting too long. I feared it would be six weeks or more. How awkward that would be!

However, God was gracious and the next morning she called and said that he told her through her Bible reading that marrying me was a wise decision. That day we announced it to our world. We were married five months later. We now have two grown children and three grandchildren.

This journey with God has continued for 39 years. I consider her God’s greatest gift to me next to Jesus. I have had to continue leaning hard on Jesus for the capacity to nurture, cherish and understand her as God commands us husbands to do. It has been a journey with many struggles, but many more blessings.

I think God gave me this experience as a model of how he wants to partner with me in facing the many other journeys of life. Journeys such as raising kids, making a living, and maintaining emotional health. May this experience help us all remember that God wants to live life with us. It will go so much better if we let him (John 10:10; John 15:5).