An Unexpected Answer

It was Unexpected Answer to a request I’d never made aloud.

My dream had been locked away in the deepest part of My Heart.

But The Lord knows My Heart & My Dreams. (FYI, He knows yours, too!)

Unknowingly, I’d been asking The Lord for a man to love.

A man with My List of 10 particular characteristics.

Then One Fine Day, The Lord unexpectedly answered my silent prayer.

With a question.
You know. Like He does.

I could almost hear His Voice:
“I have this Cute Boy with 9 of those 10 characteristics. Will you take him?”

“Yes!” I replied joyfully.

“Great!” announced The Lord.

“Then I’m going to add a bunch more, totally amazing characteristics to Your List. Things you didn’t even think to ask for. It will be just like Paul wrote about in Ephesians 3:20.”

Then He beamed.

The Lord was right, you know.
Because He always is!

Take delight in the Lord,
    and he will give you the desires of your heart.

PSALM 37:4

Suddenly everything changed.

I’d worked so hard for so long. Raising My Three Sons. Earning My Degrees. Teaching My Students. Building My Practice. All I was looking for was a Social Life.

I just wanted to find Fun and Laughter again.

But I got so much more than I’d thought possible!
A Totally Amazing Friend!

Remember My List? The One The Lord upgraded?
Well, it wasn’t long before I realized this Cute Boy has,
not just 9 or 10 wonderful characteristics. He has at least 86!

Literally. I wrote them down.
And I still have That List.

BONUS! He loves all the things I love!

• Live theatre: opera, ballet
• Classical Symphony
• Art museums
• Dancing
• Jesus

Who knew there was such a man on the earth?
Suddenly everything had changed.

But I never told the Cute Boy what happened next …

I cried.
More than you can imagine.
Almost daily. For the next 4 months.

First, my tears were the result of being overwhelmed by Sheer Joy!
I was amazed by the fact that The Lord had created such perfectly matched companions … and dance partners. Sometimes I was so excited that I couldn’t sleep.

I couldn’t think of a single thing I’d want to change about this man.
And I still can’t.

Second, I cried from fear … and anticipatory grief.
Because I have a lot of anxious memories.
If you’ve read my story, you know
my amygdalae have stored
enough data to keep me
sad and running
scared.

Clearly this was going to be a Really Big Challenge for me.

To be continued …