As
I told you, there is so much more to my story that I want
to share with you. So let's start from the beginning...
We
were both in our early thirties, and we each felt that it
was getting late in life for us. The prospects looked kind
ofdim that neither David nor I would ever meet the "right"
person and get married.
In
my early adult life, marriage was not a consideration. After
graduation from a Catholic high school in St. Louis, Missouri,
I entered the convent. Nine years after becoming a nun,
while I was stationed in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, I met
Oleen Eagle, David’s aunt. Through her active ministry
with lay Catholics as well as nuns, I had a life-changing
encounter with Jesus Christ - a "born-again" experience
while in the convent. (Click
here to read my story on How I Discovered True
Love.)
Four
years later, I was transferred to Sacramento, California.
While there, I felt the Holy Spirit calling me to leave
life in the convent and to go back to Pittsburgh. At that
point, I had been a nun for 14 years. Oleen and her husband
invited me to stay with them. I began working at WPCB-TV40,
the Christian television station in Pittsburgh (which is
now Cornerstone TeleVision Network or CTVN), where Oleen
was employed. At age 32, I was starting my life anew.
David
was originally from the Pittsburgh area. He was graduated
from high school the same year I did, then went to college
on a football scholarship. While there, he got into trouble
and lost his scholarship. This crisis was the vehicle that
God used to bring him to the decision to commit his life
to Christ.
Within
two months of this conversion experience, David felt God's
call to the ministry, so he attended Bible college. For
the next 12 years he gave himself completely to ministry
- mostly outside the Pittsburgh area. Absorbing himself
in his relationship with Christ, and reaching out to help
others, enabled him to cope with his own loneliness. During
that entire time, no girls ever showed any interest in him,
and he never met a girl that he was interested in; therefore,
he did not date. For a long time, he entertained the thought
that something must be wrong with him.
Through
the divine providence of God, circumstances brought David
back to Pittsburgh and he started working at CTVN just one
month earlier than I did. He also was 32, alone and still
unmarried.
For
two and one-half years, we worked together at the television
station - mostly in separate departments. For some reason,
we never got along. There was constant teasing and fighting
between us. Needless to say, it wasn't a very pleasant relationship.
On the weekends, Oleen would take me with her when she visited
her sister and her husband: David's parents. Most of the
time he acted as though I didn't even exist. He had no interest
at all in me. When asked by someone if he would ever consider
taking me out, he replied, "No way! She's not my type."
And I felt the same.
I
became very discontented in my work and was tired of some
of the painful relationships I was experiencing. It seemed
to me that at my age, I should have found that special someone
who would love me and minister for the Lord with me. After
27 months at CTVN, an opportunity opened up in Phoenix,
Arizona, where it seemed I could pursue a ministry of my
own. When I visited there, not only did I find a job, but
also two proposals for marriage! Surely, this was God's
will, I thought. On my return, I handed in my resignation.
I was ready to leave, but God stepped into the picture and
began to work a miracle.
A
week after I returned from Phoenix, a precious man of God
came to CTVN. He was gifted by the Holy Spirit in the Word
of Knowledge (In the Bible, see 1 Corinthians 12:8). Through
this man, God graciously gave me His direction: "Stay
until I tell you to leave. You are in the place where I
have called you." I heeded this prophetic word and
stayed - retracting my resignation. Looking back, it was
a major crossroads in my life. Had I gone to Phoenix, I
could have missed God's time of visitation in my life!
David
was at this same meeting, and also received a “Word
from God". He had been wondering if he would ever have
a mate. Not mentioning this request, he simply asked the
man of God to pray for a “need.” This is how
the man answered: “I see you opening a gift - in three
days, three weeks, or three months." What did this
mean? What did it have to do with finding a girl? "Easy
enough," David said to himself, "I'll just wait
and see what happens." Three
days passed, but nothing happened. However, three weeks
later, to the day, something did!
It
was around 6 p.m. on a sunny autumn day in early October.
As I was driving down the long, steep road at WPCB-TV, where
I worked, I wished I were heading home. The way the sun
was shining almost made my heart ache it was so beautiful.
Single as I was, how I wished I had a boyfriend to share
it with. But I was just taking my co-worker and friend,
Penny, to the bottom of the hill to meet her husband who
was late for an appointment. I had to return to work for
four more hours.
As soon as we got to the bottom,
Keith was just pulling up. Penny hopped in their car and
drove off. I proceeded to back up my car in the narrow area
to turn around and head back to the TV station. I underestimated
the drop-off at the edge of the road and felt my rear tires
sink down into the ditch beside the road.
I got out of my car and considered
my predicament. Lifting up my eyes to heaven, I asked for
help. Unexpectedly, I sensed this strong impression in my
heart: "David will always be faithful to you."
“David”, I said
to myself, "What a time to be thinking about him. I
have enough problems right now, and certainly didn’t
need any more." You see, all we had done over the last
two and a half years was clash at work.
Wondering what this strong
impression within me meant, I looked up just then and saw
a company van coming down the hill towards me. Help at last!
It stopped. The door opened. And to my great surprise, would
you believe it was David. After teasing me, “These
women drivers... where’s your AAA card?”, he
and another man who seemed to appear out of nowhere, lifted
up the back of my small yellow Toyota and got my car out
of the ditch.
I was so overjoyed to be rescued
from my situation that I impulsively put my arms around
David and gave him a great big kiss on the cheek! We had
not so much as given each other a friendly hug to this point.
David just stood there, surprised.
I asked him, “Do you
want another kiss?” To my amazement he said, “Yes.”
So I did; I gave him another kiss on the cheek. From that
very hour, David’s eyes began to be opened toward
me. It was as if scales fell from them. Suddenly, he began
to see me in a whole new light…
New
things immediately began to develop between us. A few weeks
later, David had dinner at my apartment on a Sunday afternoon.
The Holy Spirit was working so fast in our hearts
that only three days later we both knew beyond a shadow
of a doubt that God had brought us together, and that we
were to be married!! Within two weeks the wedding date was
set. Three months later we were married.
We
have found Jesus Christ to be the Perfect Matchmaker. Just
think, He brought me from St. Louis to meet David in Pittsburgh.
Even before we were born, He chose us for each other. In
fact, we were born the same year, and the unusual thing
about that was that I wasn’t born until 10 years after
my parents were married - yet I was the first-born! Amazing
when I reflect on it!
God
orchestrated events in our lives. He moved us from state
to state - me from convent to convent, he from ministry
to ministry, until our paths crossed in Pittsburgh. I really
believe my Heavenly Father searched the world over to select
the man who would be best for me, and He found my husband,
David, in Pennsylvania. (See Genesis 2:22.) We celebrated
our 20th anniversary in 2002, and we still marvel at the
miracle God has done.
In
summary, let me share some invaluable lessons and secrets
we discovered to finding God’s will for our lives:
Pray
for God’s Will - It’s okay to ask God for certain
characteristics you’d like to see in a soulmate. Be
realistic. Then put it in God’s hands. You will most
likely find that the Perfect Matchmaker has already planted
these characteristics in your heart. So you don’t
need to lower your expectations and standards just because
you don’t meet the “right” one quickly.
Consider this: God already knew before the world was created
who would be the best mate for you. Now pray that God will
cause your paths to cross – in His
time. Pray that you’ll both realize it is “right”
when you finally meet each other. Also ask God that nothing
will hinder His will from being done. Keep trusting God,
and don’t date or marry an unbeliever.
God
is Working - Delays or silence from God, more often than
not, mean that He is "working and preparing" -
not that He hasn’t heard our prayers or doesn’t
care. It took 34 years of preparation in our lives before
God brought us together. The Holy Spirit refined our characters,
weeded out obstacles in each of our lives, and developed
qualities in each of us that were what we wanted in our
mate. By making the most of your preparation stage - cooperating
with the Holy Spirit, and growing spiritually - you can
be ready when the time is right. God has to be able to trust
you with the small things before He can trust you with one
of His sons or daughters.
Go
With the Flow - Learn the difference between being rejected
and experiencing a closed door. What seems like failure
on your part may not be that at all. God is guiding you,
and may be trying to protect you from getting into the wrong
relationship. Observe the signs that God gives you through
your circumstances, and listen to what He is trying to say
to you.
Wait
for God’s Time - Only make the decision to marry when
you have the full assurance within your heart - the witness
of the Holy Spirit that causes you to know beyond a shadow
of a doubt - that he or she is the one God has chosen for
you. We tend to think we know what we want and need in a
mate, but we really don’t understand ourselves. Let
God select that person for you. He knows exactly what you
need, and He wants to give you his best. That is worth waiting
for! Remember, God knows all His children, and knows how
to find and bring the right person to you. Commit your needs
and desires to Him, and wait for His time. (See Psalm 37:3-7).
God’s timing is always perfect! When His timing is
right, He will reveal "things which eye has not seen,
and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart
of man, all THAT God has prepared for those who love Him...and
wait for Him." (Isaiah 64.4; 1 Corinthians 2:9 NASB
- emphasis ours).
Love
God and Put Him First - Both of us came to the point in
our lives where we said to Christ, "If you never send
me a mate, you will still be Number One in my life. You
will be the spouse I never had." When we each came
to this decision, it seemed that soon thereafter, doors
began to open. In a nutshell: above all, Love God and put
Him first, obey His rules, keep yourself pure - even when
things get dark and time drags on, and we don’t receive
the answers to prayer that we expect. (See Matthew 6:33).
He can be the Perfect Matchmaker
for you, too. The Father does not love David and Mary Anne
any more than He loves you. He may not work the same way,
or use the same situations for you as He did for them, but
one thing you can certainly be assured of: He wants the
very best for you, and He will be faithful to work out the
best plan for your life - whether or not this plan includes
marriage.
But you might say, "I have
blown it." Perhaps you feel you have disqualified yourself
from receiving God's best by some mistake or moral failure.
Repent, ask God for forgiveness and start anew. God promises
that if we love Him and are called according to His purpose,
He will cause all things to work together for good. So begin
incorporating these principles and see what God will do.
Remember, He can do the same for you as He did for us, IF
you will love Him with your whole heart, and put Him first
in your life. Trust Him! Wait for Him! He loves you!
| Other
Resources
Discover
more about the invisible world around you. This practical,
comprehensive guide to spiritual warfare will empower
you with spiritual breakthrough and prepare you for
the perilous days ahead. |
|
