Saying Yes to God's Best

Yesterday a friend asked me how I knew Taylor was “the one.” It was a harder question than I thought it would be to answer, because it is hard to put into words the peace that God gave me during that time of our lives. As today marks 1 year from the day that Taylor asked me to spend forever with him, I thought there was no better time to share this part of our story.

Taylor & I had a whirlwind dating experience. We went on our first date April 18, 2015. We said, “I love you”, 3 weeks later. 6 weeks into dating, Taylor had talked to my parents and was hiding an engagement ring in his sock drawer. 3 and a half months of dating later, Taylor asked me to be his wife on August 15^th, 2015. I look back all the time and remember the day I told my mom that I didn’t trust myself to know if someone was the one. I had a clouded mindset on love due to failed relationships and painful lessons. I told her that God was just going to have to know for me, because there was no way that I would ever know on my own. And let me tell you, God knew. God knew a long time ago. God knew every lesson I had to learn, mistake I had to make, every prayer that had to be prayed for me to have an open heart to see the man that He had picked out for me in eternity to spend my life with.

Before dating Taylor, relationships made me a big ball of anxiety and insecurity. I never felt like I could be 100% myself because just maybe that other person wouldn’t accept me for who I was, or I would be too much for them to handle. I was constantly comparing myself to ex-girlfriends of the past and I would spend all of my time trying to be the perfect girlfriend, which quite frankly is exhausting and overwhelming. I found myself praying to God justifying the wrong relationships, as if God would bend His will to mine because of my perceived “good reasons.” I never knew of this mythical peace you were supposed to have in the right relationship and started to doubt that it really existed.

So back to my friend’s question…knowing Taylor was the one. I could list all of the qualities of my husband that I am attracted to, that made me fall in love with him. Taylor is an incredible man. He has a wonderful family, he is an extremely hard worker, he loves the Lord, he is strong in his faith in areas that I am weak, he never fails to make me laugh, and he is extremely compassionate. When I started to think about how I was going to answer my friend’s question, the qualities that describe Taylor aren’t what jumped into my mind as the reason he was “the one”. I knew Taylor was the one because of the peace I felt about him and about our relationship.

Taylor & I started our relationship with a lot of talking, and a lot of praying. Of course there was instant attraction and chemistry, but we both were at a point in our lives where we wanted to make sure that dating was what God wanted, not just what we wanted. We both continually prayed, “God, if this is your will – make it obvious!” I remember having conversations with Taylor before we “officially” started dating about how things were going so well, and it would be really hard if God told us no. We kept putting our relationship in God’s hands, and asking Him to lead us towards the next steps. When Taylor asked me to be his girlfriend, we both knew that we were going to get married. Finally, I understood that peace and that “when you know, you know” feeling. Philippians 4:6-7 says, “Be anxious about nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, shall guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” With Taylor, I wasn’t praying anxious prayers anticipating and trying to prevent the worst. We were both thanking God for the relationship He had blessed us with and asking for His wisdom on the next steps for us. I never felt anything but peace with Taylor. I never doubted him. Saying yes to forever with Taylor was the easiest decision I ever made.

I don’t want to discount the importance of dating with discernment. Date someone that loves the Lord. Date someone who shares your vision for the future. Date someone that is your best friend. But, trust God to lead you to this person. Even when it is hard – keep the faith that God’s plan is so, so good. Pray for God’s will in your relationship. Trust His timing, and experience the peace that only He can bring.

God picked Taylor to be “the one” for me a long time ago, and everything about our relationship is part of His story. We are just blessed to share the same chapter.