Resolution and Recommitment:

At home I weighed the decision. I loved Elizabeth, but how could I know that she wouldn't hurt me again? The truth is, none of us can ever know this about our spouses. And the the hard part to swallow is that your spouse (or future spouse) will almost certainly hurt you at some point. Those who are closest to us have the greatest potential to deeply hurt us. But loving someone means being vulnerable. I'm not a Shakespeare scholar, but I'm pretty sure he said, "'Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all." I probably butchered that quote, but you get the idea. It was a risk, but life without risk is not true life. I called her to tell her that I was playing for keeps. This was real.
We talked over Christmas break and into the next semester. Things were going amazingly well. We had both learned and matured in our time apart. We were nearing college graduation and were getting serious about our adult lives. I had decided not to go to medical school, but I still wasn't sure about after graduation. What is a Science geek qualified to do? The obvious answers are: research, medical school, teaching, or Wal-Mart. I thought about Wal-Mart really hard, and then decided to look for a teaching job. I have always enjoyed public speaking, writing, and Science; so teaching seemed like a good fit. I spoke with two men that I greatly respect, and they both thought teaching was a great choice for me.

April of 2006 I interviewed for a Science teaching position at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Walton Beach, FL. Admittedly, I chose this school so I could live near Elizabeth. If we were going to be serious and make it work, I needed to end this long distance business and spend some time with her--face-to-face! The school accepted my application and told me to arrive in August to start preparing for the school year.

That summer my partner and I went to Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Tennessee to help churches run week-long youth ministry outreaches. My partner was my good friend Josh Florence, who is now raising support to be a missionary in Papua New Guinea (click here to see their mission video) . We had a fantastic time that summer. Elizabeth and I snuck in a few phone calls (actually, a lot) and sent letters and cards. Distance made our hearts grow fonder.

I was broke. I mean really broke. Thankfully I graduated from college debt free, but I had no money. I wanted to marry this girl, so I went ring shopping. I bought her a fake ring to save money. Kidding. I picked out a beautiful ring for her. And check this out! We did NOT go ring shopping together, but after I bought it, she said it was the exact one she "had her eye on". I know what you're thinking--she just said that to make me feel good. I asked her that, and she vows it was the ring she wanted. So score one for Dan! But seriously, one of the great things about being married to the person I believe God intended me to marry is that we see so many things the same way. We disagree too, I'm not being stupid. It was just another hint to me that we were meant to be.

After Christmas it was back to the grind. We went back home to teach and kept seeing each other every weekend. She developed relationships with my new friends in Fort Walton Beach and everybody there was happy for us (except my students--they didn't care). We had a great support network there. One family in particular, the Dixons, treated us like their very own children. When God puts people like that in my path, it reminds me He is always looking out for me (and my family). They helped us with anything and everything. We love them like family! Elizabeth and I had a great time dating during those months. The only downside was we had to drive through Gulf Breeze (cop fortress/city revenue generator) every weekend to see each other!
We were set to be married July 7th, 2007; how appropriate--the number of completion. We found out later that thousands of other people got married on that day! We're not as creative as we thought, but it was still a great day. I won't lie--it was not the best day of our lives. It was amazing and crazy and busy and a little stressful; but the best days were yet to come. Marriage is just the kickoff, and the life that follows is the blessing!
Genesis 2:18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone.
Proverbs 18:22 Whoso finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor of the Lord.
Proverbs 5:18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
I hope you enjoyed our story, and if you did, please share it on social media or tell your friends to visit my blog. Thanks for reading!
Being married has taught me a few things. Check out "Five Things I Don't Say To My Wife".
We started a family! See "Baby Waiting" or "Why I Love Being a Dad".
Image credits:
Caution image from http://www.onlinelabels.com/Templates/OL175-Caution-Watch-Your-Step-Label.htm
Being married has taught me a few things. Check out "Five Things I Don't Say To My Wife".
We started a family! See "Baby Waiting" or "Why I Love Being a Dad".
Image credits:
Caution image from http://www.onlinelabels.com/Templates/OL175-Caution-Watch-Your-Step-Label.htm
Such a beautiful story Dan.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading it Joan. God has done amazing things for us!
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