Testimony - Meeting Wife

After my parents divorced, my mother, brother, sister and I lived in that same house for a few years. My mother had started to date other guys and at various times they lived with us. Pretty awkward, having to answer to some guy who didn't know me from any other kid. It was at this time that my mother started to drink. She never really got into the drinking business, at least that I knew of, when my parents were married.

He boyfriends were awful influences on her. And who knows what kind of influence she had on them. After a year or so of dating and drinking and not working, our house was being foreclosed on. She and her boyfriend had started to renovate the house, and the logical place to start was the bathroom, naturally pulling up the floors. I was about a 1/2 year away from graduating high school. So being the mature mom she was, she allowed me to stay living in the house, while she and my siblings moved in with her boyfriend. For about 6 months or so, I lived in an abandoned house with no electricity, no hot water and a dirt floor in the bathroom.

After I graduated high school, I moved in with my grandmother for a few months and then with a friend. I eventually got a job working security and got an apartment with 2 of my best friends. This is the time that I met the most beautiful girl in the world, who would one day become my wife.

God changed my life forever on June 17th, 1995. My buddy and I were out "cruising for chicks" and we were following this car with 2 girls in it. They wouldn't stop to talk to us. This went on for a good 15 minutes or so. We didn't realize that there was a car with 2 girls following US around. Once we noticed that, we aborted our mission and pulled over. It was GO time...time put on some sweet moves on these 2 lovely ladies.

I didn't say a word when I got out of the car to talk :) My buddy did all the talking and as much as I love him to pieces, they weren't impressed. The girls took our numbers down and wrote "dorks" next to them. But, for whatever reason, Wife called me (actually paged me...love the 90's). Lets remember I was the fat smelly kid in high school...just coming into my own as a young man. I hadn't had too many girlfriends in my life. And holy smokes, this amazingly beautiful girl, who I didn't say a word too, called me. If that doesn't show God is watching out for us all, I don't know what will!!!!

We went on our first date on June 22nd and were officially dating on June 25th. We spent everyday together and really have ever since. And I mean that literally, everyday. People thought it wasn't right that an almost 17 year old and almost 19 year old should spend so much time together, but it just felt right and natural. She was the first person who just loved me for me. It was an amazing feeling (and still is.)

She helped me through so much emotional baggage, pushing me and guiding me through counselling. She persevered through my anger issues, control issues, my hatred towards anyone not named Wife and many other things that I brought to the table. She'll tell you it wasn't easy. It didn't help that neither of us were really seeking the Lord at those times.

--GOD'S AWESOMENESS DURING THESE TIMES--
While my mother was dating and drinking, she'd "let" me take her car out on the weekends, when I didn't even have my license. Crazy! I think about how many times I should have been pulled over or maybe gotten into accidents, yet none of that happened. God watched over me and made sure I didn't get into too much trouble.

God is so amazing and good. The 1 blessing I thank God for more than any other (besides His dying on the cross) is the blessing of Wife. He brought to me the absolute PERFECT person for me for that time in my life. I'd like to think that for that time in Wife's life, I brought something to the table as well, but in reality it was mostly about my issues. Most girls would have had said thanks, but no thanks. Most girls would have dated me for a summer and moved on when school started back up. But not Wife, she had the right temperament, heart, dreams, desires, loving tenderness to put up with and, in Christian terms, "walk with me". I think about where I'd be had I met anyone else...and I always think I'd be drinking, smoking, drugging...doing who knows what for work.

(and for the record...I have tears in my eyes writing this...Thank you so much Lord!!!!....and if you are reading this: Thank You Wife...you will never know how you saved my life and help mold me into the person I am now. No words can ever express how lost I'd be without you.)

More later....

God is Good!