I am nearing the conclusion of what has probably been the worst week of my time on this earth so far. It has not been good. I feel like Alexander, who once had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, and I try to keep in mind that sometimes days (and weeks) like this happen, even in Australia.
I started out Saturday night wrecking my car. Let me inform you that up to that point, I had never nudged anything my car, much less had an accident. Long story short, I went to turn and then a few seconds later, my car was in about three feet of water. (In what is about to be me complaining for a while, I would like to share some very good things that happened with this accident: I was only going about ten miles per hour when I hit the water, which means that I was not thrown forward, and my airbags did not deploy. My friend Allie should have been in the car with me, but decided to ride with her mom instead. I was able to get out of my car without a scratch. A very nice man saw that accident happen, and immediately called 911 and came to help me get out of the water. The police cars that came turned right in front of a lady that I knew who saw that it was me and pulled over and gave me a ride home (which was so kind of her because I was far away from home). My friend has a weekend house in the city I was in, and her dad was able to come and be there while everything was happening. I had several shoulders available for my to cry on, and two really great friends who helped me to laugh. The policeman informed me that he was amazed my car did not flip. It was only three feet of water and not ten or twenty or more. I did not drown (I think I have mentioned before that drowning is a pretty big fear of mine. My phone, that had been thrown into my floorboard (and thus into water, where it stay for an hour and a half) came out of the bag of rice today and works perfectly. The only things that were not insured that were hurt were my GPS and my camera. Let me repeat: I was not hurt. ( I had to say that eight or ten times while i pulled soaking things out of my ruined car) All in all, God was very evident in the events that transpired that night.)
So, the first three days of my week were filled with calling the insurance company to look at my car, trying to get a rental car that I'm not even allowed to drive, crying because my first time back behind the wheel was in the biggest car I have ever driven, and the general difficulties of having to rebuild my phone and living without my hair straightener.
Then I made it to Thursday, and everything was going to be ok, until, I found out today that a guy who had been leading me one for a while now, actually has a girlfriend. So, that was a real downer. But I came to a good realization today, that I hope will bless some of you. First off: ladies, never ever change yourself for a guy, don't waste your time with his music if you don't really like it or his TV shows if they aren't actually interesting or his words if they aren't truly meaningful to you.
God has created for you a guy who will love you without you needing to change any part of yourself for him. There is someone who is going to love everything about you, all of the things that you love about yourself, and even the things you don't. He will love you for your car accidents and your broken hearts, he will love you for your mishaps and screw ups, he will love you for the person you are today and the person you were yesterday and the person you will be tomorrow. He will love you unconditionally with a Christ-like love. He will challenge your mind, he will challenge your spirit.
He will be patient and kind, he will not envy, he will not boast, he will not be proud. He will not dishonor others, he will not be self-seeking, he will not be easily angered, he will keep no record of wrongs. He will not delight in evil but will rejoice in the truth. he will always protect, always trust, always hope, and always preserver. Because the love of the guy God intended for you will never fail. So, don't waste hours watching a television show because a passing boy thinks it's funny. Instead do the things that you actually enjoy, because those are the things that a true man of God will one day love you for.
A friend of mine and I had a conversation recently about the Sexy Men Of God (or SMOG if you will) that we are looking for. She mentioned something that I have frequently found myself doing since, and it was: do you ever think of the guy you are going to marry and think "I wonder what he is doing right now?" Now you can look at that in the cute girly way that I first did, but after a bit, it started to affect my decisions. I continue thinking, "If my future husband was here, what would be his thoughts on what I am about to do? Would he approve? Would he not approve? Would he question God's choice of me as his future wife?" In all sincerity, I hope that he thinks the same thing from time to time, that he thinks of me and wonders what I am doing right now, who knows, maybe I have already seen him and just didn't know it, maybe he was the guy I passed in the grocery store parking lot, maybe he is someone who wanders on the outskirts of my life, maybe he is even a good friend, but who ever he is, I really can't wait to get to know him and see what God has in store for our lives, and how his plans and his abilities and his personality are going to fit with mine. I hope he loves me for the things I've done wrong, and I hope he loves me even more for the things I've done right.
