Friday, June 17, 2011

about a boy

ever notice how surreal time feels? it's moving fast and slow all at once. the days feel long, but the months zoom by. for me, the last six months have been just that sort of contradiction: at times so fast that i feel i cannot keep up, but the beginning of those six months feels like forever ago. but alas, this post isn't really about time.

it's about a boy....or to be correct, a man.

as many women do, i've spent my fair share of time dreaming up what the perfect-for-me man would be like. i can even recall conversations with other women where we declared these things and then affirmed or corrected each other. my list always contained things like Jesus follower, a little less serious than i am but the ability to quickly be serious when needed, musical, enjoys sports of some sort, handy in some way, and some deeper, value specific things. Oh, and facial hair. (yes i have a thing for dark, man scruffs).

while i desired these things, i don't think i ever really believed that i would find all of these things in one man. date after date caused me to reevaluate and drop certain things off the list. pretty soon, i was struggling just to find someone that was a Jesus follower.

but God gives good gifts.

and this time, my gift was in the form of a man. i remember laying in bed one evening just a few weeks before this man appeared in my life, crying after a rather frustrating date (once again). in the midst of my tears, i asked God why i couldn't just meet someone at my church who really loved Him and that wanted to live life in a way that changed lives.

i prayed mostly certain that it was a prayer that would never be answered. boy, was i wrong. exactly one week later, after an odd touch and a lie told by a friend, a man entered my life. the touch and the lie are a story for another time. seven months have passed since that moment, six of which have been in an "official" (but not facebook official) relationship. a relationship that is proving to me over and over that God listens and He cares; that it really is about timing and authentic readiness.

so this man? i met him at church. he's not just a musician, but has quite a gift for the technical side. he's not just handy, but could do the kind of things it would require to build a room in an empty basement. he enjoys sports, although he cheers for the wrong team. he loves to cook and cuddle and will watch movies that i choose. he treats me in ways i dreamed of being treated, but never actually imagined would happen. we laugh and we cry together. we share an uncommon vision for life. a vision, by the way, that i've yet to find in any other man i've ever dated. most of all, he loves Jesus deeply and is consistently in pursuit of growth and change. it seems that i am regularly amazed at the way God has been listening to my hopes and dreams in this area over the years. it's almost like steve was custom-made just for me.

there are times when i honestly can't wait to change the world with him.

in the grand scheme of life, six months doesn't seem like all that long, but there is something about the last six months with steve that feels so right. it's like we've never not known each other. hmmm, yet another small detail seen by our Maker?