A TRUE LOVE STORY

This story was written for young, unmarried men and women in order  to inspire confidence that God is truly faithful and that HIS Plan is the best plan for their lives.

In the year 2001, while America was experiencing the 9/11 tragedy, a young man was in Australia helping set up a new extension campus for Calvary Chapel Bible College. He was focused on serving and loving God, yet he began to get impatient.  He noticed others around him who had boyfriends and girlfriends and were in the process of planning their future lives together.  You see, he had patiently waited for 21 years (although, in reality, he spent 13 of those hating girls).  He had never dated or had a girlfriend.  He wanted to hold out and wait for God's BEST in his life.

He cried out to God as his desire for a wife grew ever stronger.  "Lord", he said, "Am I really suppose to wait for You?  Or should I just pick someone and trust that you'll bless me in it?"  He wondered if he had missed past opportunities that the Lord had already given him.  And he began to think that he was too picky--that his standards for what he wanted in a wife were too high.

As this young man was seriously considering lowering his expectations for what a wife should be, he went for a walk to talk things over with His heavenly Father.  He wandered through "the bush" feeling frustrated, depressed, lonely and confused.  It seemed as if God was taking forever to answer his questions.  His rambling thoughts were interrupted by something small that caught his eye.  He reached out and grabbed the branch it was clinging to.  Curious as to what it was, he began prying it apart with his pocket knife.  It was a cocoon!  Desperately wanting to  see what was inside, he continued to pry at its tough outer shell.  Suddenly it occurred to him that in attempting to open it he would surely destroy it and, therefore, never see what was inside.  It was at this moment that God clearly spoke to his heart.  The answer he had been longing for.  The young man understood that if he rushed to pick someone to marry, it would turn out to be a ruined mess and he would then have to figure out how to "make due" with what he was stuck with--just like the cocoon.  If, however, he waited for God to bring along HIS choice of a bride, then he would truly get his beautiful butterfly.  In God's perfect timing and wisdom, He affirmed His promise to the young man that he would indeed show him "the Right One"--but it would also be the right time...God's time.

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At the same time as the young man in Australia was learning to trust God and continue in prayer for his future wife, someone across the sea was also waiting on God.  On the beautiful island of Kauai, Hawaii, a young woman was serving the Lord and seeking God's direction for her life.  She had had so many wonderful adventures with God already!  She had taken the gospel to Buddhist monks living high in the mountains of Tibet; performed gospel dramas on the streets of Tokyo, Japan; snuggled lonely orphans in her arms in Mexico; taught English (and the Bible) to students in central China...What was next?  All she wanted was to be used by God for His purpose and glory.  She sought Him with her whole heart as she waited.

She was staying with her close friends who lived on Kauai with their 5 young children.  She was part of their family in every way.  As she received godly counsel and wisdom from the parents and enjoyed every moment being a big sister to the children, she didn't realize that God was preparing her to be a wife and a mother.  Many distractions came her way while there, and there was certainly no shortage of young men who took notice of her and sought her affection and attention.  But she kept her eyes focused on her Lord.  She had been down that path before and found it empty, dark and disappointing.  From now on she would live for Jesus and seek only His best for her life.

After a year on the island, she felt the Lord calling her to return to her family in California.  It was then that she began to attend Calvary Chapel Bible College, all the while putting her trust in the Lord to lead and direct her life.  After the first semester of school, the Lord opened a door of opportunity for her to work at a youth camp for the summer break.  At the end of the summer, she had planned to continue attending Bible College--this time in Europe.  But God had different plans for her.  Of course it was not a bad thing to go back to school, but she was somehow aware that it was the wrong thing to do at the time.  She had no peace about continuing with school, and as she prayed and asked God for direction He opened the way for her to remain at the youth camp during the fall.  Well, the best place for anyone to be is right where God wants them.  Her obedience was shortly rewarded as God brought her and her future husband together at the youth camp!  If you haven't already guessed, the young man to whom God brought her was the same young man who was waiting for his "butterfly"!!  As they worked together and became friends at the camp, God clearly showed them that His plan was for them to be married.  They sought God's will and waited for His timing in their lives.  He was faithful to give them the desires of their hearts!

For a gift on our wedding day Luke gave me a necklace with a gold butterfly so that I may always remember that I am his perfect and precious butterfly (chosen by God) who was worth waiting for!

(I gave him a new handgun...but that's not really relevant to this particular story!)