When God Writes Your Love Story

I was in high school when the book I Kissed Dating Good-Bye by Joshua Harris. I was at a point in my life where I was confused about faith and more interested in worldly ideals than ones centered around God. I was boy crazy and wanted to date boys the way everyone else was! Not dating? How do you even find your life partner that way? What a crazy way to think!

But my dating life never seemed to quite pan out the way it does in books and movies. I had crushes but was too shy to do anything about them. For the most part, even talking to a guy was hard for me, much less someone I found attractive. I remained single for most of high school, save for a short relationship that really wasn't much of a relationship at all.

All along, I think I had a longing in me for a different type of love story. A love story you don't find in modern romance novels or chick flicks. One where the guy is handsome and chivalrous and finds me completely delightful, foibles and all. A story about courtship, not dating. This is when I realized I should've been born in the 1800's because it's nearly impossible to find a love story like that anymore.

Nowadays we're more concerned with someone we're completely compatible with, inside the bed and out. We want sex, excitement, and intrigue. Who cares if he opens the door for you, as long as he's carrying a condom in his wallet? We go to bars and sign up for dating services to find Mr. Right Now. And when we do end up biting the bullet and getting married, we spend more time trashing our husbands and talking down about them than we do actually enjoying the moment. It just sickens me when I hear the way some wives and husbands talk about their mates. Don't they realize what a precious gift they've been given, a gift of love?

I know all relationships have their struggles and I'm not naive to believe that when I do find Mr. Right, he's going to be a perfect specimen of man who can do no wrong, cooks me dinner every night, and we never have a fight. I can be a very confrontational person when I feel like it. I can be moody and restless. I'm not always the easiest person to live with. But I've got to believe there's more to love than what I'm seeing. I have to. Otherwise, I'll be content to stay single forever.

A while ago, I placed my love story in the hands of my Heavenly Father. I let go of the pen, let go of all the things I think I want, and gave it up to the One who is going to carve out a love story unlike any other. It's a relief to think that I don't have to do all the work. I don't have to join a dating site or track down every handsome guy I meet for their number. I'm going to let God have his way with this.

I know it's not the most popular way to think and sometimes, it may seem a little kooky and outdated. But I'm not one for going with the popular vote. (I mean, I like Obama!) I want to eek out everything I can get out of love, not limiting myself to what the world thinks I need. To some, I may look like a train wreck. I'm not dating, have never had an active dating life, and don't see fit to immerse myself in that culture. I may be 35 before I meet him, but when I do, the love story will be so amazing, it's going to bring tears to even the most hard of hearts. I believe that.

I'm currently reading a book by the amazing husband-wife team of Eric and Leslie Ludy. Leslie's book Authentic Beauty changed my life. I read it at the lowest point of my life where I was grasping onto God's hand just to get me through the day. The book is about extreme Christianity and how awesome our love story with God can be, if we just give in to it. I'm not totally sold on everything in this book, mainly because it gets very extreme at times. But still, it's a great book and a completely different perspective on our relationship with God. After reading Authentic Beauty, I read When Dreams Come True: A Love Story Only God Could Write which was my first foray in what a God-written love story looks like. Believe me, their story is amazing and this book completely transformed my thinking in what a relationship has to look like.

Back to the book I'm reading now, which is When God Writes Your Love Story. I'm only a few chapters in but the book has captivated my heart. It is classic Ludy-style, written in a way that grabs your attention quickly and keeps it for the duration. It makes me feel a little less kooky about the way I have chosen to go about finding my future husband. I feel a kindred spirit with them, as if somehow I've already become a part of their family. (In a strictly non-stalker type of way.)

I plan on blogging while I read through this book, something I wish I had done while reading Authentic Beauty. I know it's going to change the way I view God and romance.

I don't know if I can ever fully convey the awesome wonder of what it was like to have a God-written love story. During my entire romance with Eric, I was so aware of the fact that it was God who was leading each step, guiding each conversation, painting each sunset, and standing over us with a smile. The cheap, imitation romance I'd known before simply could not be compared to this new kind of love I had discovered. I was daily amazed that I had come from a place of heartbreak, confusion, and compromise in relationships, to a dream come true. I had discovered a kind of divine love that can't even be found in fairy tales, simply by giving God the pen of my life's story and allowing Him to write each chapter. --Leslie Ludy, When God Writes Your Love Story