I can't believe how long it has taken me to write this post but I am overjoyed to share our love story with you today! Yesterday was our 10 month wedding anniversary. I cannot believe how fast the year has gone so far and it won't be long till we are celebrating our 1 year anniversary. I feel so blessed to be married to Jordan and I can't wait for 80 more years to celebrate the marriage God designed us to have.
Our story is not perfect and I am sure I will not write it perfectly but I hope and pray you will see the workings of Jesus in it.
L+J
Love story...
I didn't date in high school. Believe me, I wanted to, but I grew up going to a very small Christian school and there were literally 3 boys in my grade. After my sophomore year I transferred to a public school for my last two years. It was not a very easy transition and I was pretty shy so I didn't have very many friends for the last two years of high school. This was a really hard time for me and I suffered with a lot of insecurity and self doubt. Why didn't anyone like me? Will I ever find someone who will love me, for me?"
My freshman year of college I thought for sure I would meet the most amazing Christian guy right away. I mean there were so many more options, right? Wrong. I didn't meet anyone that I was interested in, or interested in me, my freshman year. Every time I attended one of the college ministries on campus I wondered, would I meet someone today? I kept hoping that there would be someone there who would love Jesus but also would be interested in me. So many of my friends were in relationships and I hated the thought of never meeting anyone. In spite of my loneliness, my freshman year was an amazing year of college. My roommate and I were inseparable and my relationship with God grew so much that year. But I still wanted to find someone...
My sophomore year of college was very much the same. I was always on the lookout and every time I met a godly man I would think, "is he the one?" I was constantly feeling frustrated and rejected. The end of my sophomore year I even considered dating the first guy that was interested in me just so that I could date someone...anyone. I am SO glad I didn't end up dating him though. He was one of those "Christian" guys who said all the right things and pretended to act a certain way just to get me to like him. One day he showed me his true colors and I decided not to continue talking to him.
That summer I gave it all over to God. I was tired of feeling defeated and rejected. The next 3 months I was completely focused on my relationship with Jesus. I led a Bible study and spent time with my roommates. I also got a job at a recreation facility in town and I worked a lot. (important information for later) It was refreshing and exactly what I needed. God really showed up in my life that summer and it was amazing to really surrender my desire for a relationship to Jesus. I am thankful for that time.
Song of Solomon 2:7 "Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires."
The beginning of the fall semester of my junior year I felt excited to focus on how God would use me as a single woman for His glory. I was excited at the idea of moving out of state or out of the country after graduation. Since I was single I could move anywhere or do anything that the Lord was leading me to. About a month into my junior year, my roommate and I were invited by a guy named Jordan to a Bible study he was in. We both worked with Jordan at the Rec Center but he was gone most of the summer coaching baseball so I hardly knew him at the time. I only had to attend that Bible study a few times and I started to be attracted to Jordan. He was funny and really smart. He also had a desire for God that I had never seen in a guy before. He led discussions and asked really great questions. However, I never thought he would be interested in me.
Two months after I started attending this Bible study I got a text one night from Jordan. He told me he had an extra ticket to a play his brother was in and wanted to know if I wanted to go with him. Well let me tell you, I was ecstatic! I had never been asked out on a date before and I couldn't believe this amazing Christian guy was asking me. Well since I had never been on a date I was VERY nervous. I was ready two hours before he was supposed to pick me up and I was second guessing whether or not it was a date or not. He didn't specifically say it was a date and I was very inexperienced. Well, as soon as he pulled up in his car, I knew it was a date. He opened my door for me and told me I looked "very pretty." It was such an awesome night. He was soooo nervous and I thought it was adorable because I was equally nervous. After the play he drove me home and we talked for a while in my apartment with my roommates. When he went to say goodbye, his hand got caught in his coat and it was super awkward but completely wonderful at the same time.
Unfortunately after that we didn't talk for a week or two. He texted me every once in a while but not consistently. It was really frustrating. Well, I had told my Bible study leader about our date and one day when she saw him at the Rec Center (she had never met him before) she went right up to him and said, "are you Jordan?" He said, "yes I am." She said, "I just wanted you to know that I have been praying for you." (When I found out she said this to him, I was mortified!) He said, "well... thank you!" (HAHA so funny! He was probably so confused.) She then continued to tell him that I was in her Bible study and that she just thought she should pray for him because I had talked about him. Long story short she basically told him I really like him. He told her, "The feelings are mutual." When Jenny told me this I was SO mad at her. I kept thinking, "he must think I am crazy!"
That night, Jordan wrote me a 9 paragraph email on facebook basically explaining why he had not contacted me very much in the last couple of weeks and how he really liked me and wanted to get to know me better. It was an amazing message and I still have it saved. I told him I would love to talk to him more about this in person and so we decided to meet at a coffee shop in our town a few days later. That night was amazing and I will never forget it. We talked for HOURS and the place actually had to kick us out because they were closing and we had been there so long. When we got back to my place we talked even longer in the car and at the end of the conversation he asked me if he could pursue a dating relationship with me. I said yes and we were officially dating.
After we started dating I could see God's hand in everything about our friendship and now relationship. God used that summer after got the job at the Rec Center (where we met) to help me realize that I needed HIM and not a relationship. But I also see why I got the job there. God placed me in that job so that 4 months later, I would meet my future husband.
"Where you are right now is God's place for you. Live and obey and love and believe right there. God, not your marital status, defines your life."
-1 Corinthians 7:17
Jordan was my "first" everything. He was my first date, first boyfriend, first time holding hands, first kiss. I am SO thankful that I got to experience all of my "firsts" with my now husband.
We went through a lot of wonderful times throughout our dating relationship and we also went through some hard times. Throughout our entire relationship I saw God's hand it it. We both were on the same page about everything we wanted to pursue and our desires for the future.
We dated for 1 year and 9 months before he asked me to be his wife. (I will be posting the story of our proposal next Wednesday.)We were engaged for 9 months and were married on May 18, 2013. For the next month, every Wednesday I will be posting about our wedding. So, stay tuned!
These 10 months of marriage have honestly been the best in my life and I feel so blessed to be Jordan's wife. Through engagement and marriage I have learned so much about myself and also about my selfishness. I have also learned more about what God desired for marriage and how it can truly represent Christ and the church. Jordan and I have learned so much about communication, unconditional love and forgiveness. We have to continue to choose to love each other every single day and that is only possible with the help of Jesus. Jordan is absolutely my best friend and I pray that we will continue to laugh together, pray together, serve together, play together, endure hardships together and do life together for the rest of our days.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord. "Plans to give you a hope and future."
Jeremiah 29:11
Thank you for reading our love story. I feel so blessed to be able to share with all of you how God is faithful and he demonstrates His love for us.
Have a beautiful day!
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