God does work in mysterious ways. Or, at least I’ve come to realize that even when you think God is playing hooky from your life, He really is there taking care of things. Sometimes it just takes a while to realize – sometimes after the fact – that He is there all along.
 |
| Here we are in 1990, not long after we met -- me (the one with all the hair) and Ed, the man I would eventually marry. Notice how smitten I am! |
I admit that of late, there are times that I wonder where God is. Is He there for me, protecting me, helping me as I had asked? While I may feel completely alone, I just have to believe that He’s there, and that His plan for me is in the works. After all, He has revealed Himself to me many times. Why would I doubt Him now?
One particular instance that resonates is when God led me to my church, Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, and then later to my husband. That little gesture from God is one that I consider my greatest gift.
When I joined my congregation more than 22 years ago, I must say that even I was bewildered by my choice. I lived in Ohio, so why did I choose a church in Northern Kentucky, a good 20 miles away from where I lived? There were plenty of other churches close by to choose from. But after visiting several churches, my gut just told me that God wanted me to be at Gloria Dei.
It was a time in my life where I really needed spiritual uplifting. I thought I was getting old (yeah, I was 24), I didn’t have a steady job and I was in the midst of breaking up with a long-term boyfriend. I felt there was no stability in my life whatsoever, so I looked to church to provide that.
So I joined Gloria Dei and trekked the extra distance for some time. In the meantime, I broke up with my boyfriend and didn’t look back, and within a year I finally landed the steady job. And then came the big event. About a year after joining the church, I met my husband, Ed. Not through church, but through a friend who introduced us.
I was immediately taken with this kind, wonderful, witty, hard-working man. He was a man who still lived at home because he was taking care of his elderly father. And he was a man who could fix things! I felt I had hit the jackpot there!
As we dated I knew within just a few weeks that he was the man I wanted to marry. I guess it took him a little longer to decide he wanted to marry me. Nevertheless, two years and four months into our courtship he gave me the most wonderful gift for Christmas. He gave me his heart – one overflowing with undying love. (And the sparkly diamond ring that he gave me was pretty nice too!) Yes, to know that he wanted to spend his life with me was undoubtedly one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received.
But it dawned on me that my husband’s commitment was part of an even greater gift – one that God had given to me. Why had God called me to a church such a far distance from where I lived? Because He knew that is the area where I would eventually end up. While I initially lived 20 miles away, Ed only lived about three miles away, in Kentucky. Once we were engaged, I moved to Kentucky to be closer to him and when we got married we settled there into our first home (with the father-in-law, who lived with us until he passed away).
God called me to Gloria Dei because He knew the man I hadn’t yet met but would eventually marry was waiting for me there – practically in the church’s backyard! Ed ended up joining the church too, and to this day we are still members there.
What a wonderful Christmas it was that year – 1992. I not only had the heart of the man I loved, but also the realization that God was so instrumental in bringing us together. They are priceless gifts that continue to be fruitful to this day, after more than 17 years of marriage and three children together.
Today, I occasionally ponder, “Where are you, God?” It’s during those times that I remember 22 years ago, when I was young woman who was jobless, uncertain and alone. I kept faith and God took care of me then. Perhaps I should say, “I know you’re there, God – even if I don’t always feel it.” So I’ll just continue to keep faith, pray that someday God will once again reveal the big picture to me, and know that even when I feel alone, as long as I keep God in my life I am never alone.
