When I was in my teens, rather than wanting to “sow my wild oats”, I began feeling this nagging emptiness and loneliness inside for who God had for me as a life companion. I remember after my first heart-break (what one really could term as a complete “heart crushing”) asking God for answers, crying and distraught. He has spoken to me hoards of times through His Word, devotionals, people, sermons, etc. – all very specific to my current situations at the time. Although in this instance, something happened that probably only occurs once in a Christ-follower’s life, if that. As I was asking Him why and where “the one” was for me, I heard a very audible whisper say, “She’s in Germany.” It was spoken in my ears, but the voice didn’t come from the outside. It was as though the words were spoken from inside of me. It scared me to say the least, especially since I was in the house alone. Completely startled, vaguely understanding what had just happened, I responded from my wet, tear-wrenched face with a dumbfounded voice questioning what I had just heard. “GERMANY?” I was definitely not expecting an immediate, audible answer, and this was so not the one I would have wanted to hear. None of it made sense (God’s ways often never do).

Being a teenager, and the bizarreness of it all, made me just slough it off as something weird that I didn’t understand. When I met my wife years later at the age of twenty two (another instance where I simply had to wait on the Lord) and became aware that she had lived in Germany for eight years, I remembered and now clearly understood the once confusing encounter with God. He knew my soul mate was an ocean and years away, and the prize, no matter how distant, would be exceedingly worth enduring the momentary present loss. He even went an extra step to comfort my spirit with the assurance that He knew exactly where she was. He had His timetable for getting her back to the States and knew all the details about how our paths would cross. Sometimes you just have to trust Him and hold on to what He promises when nothing makes sense. I’m so thankful that He has our backs even when we can’t understand everything that’s happening.

Last year we celebrated our thirtieth wedding anniversary. It sounds corny, but she completes me. I’m better at everything with her by my side. Her deep love, her unending support of my dreams and her encouragement when things seem impossible make me cherish her all the more. I feel fortunate to have had the patience to wait for her and the courage to step into our future together all those years ago. For those of you out there still searching for your soul mate on this Valentine’s Day, take heart, be of good cheer and enlist God in your search! And for those of you who have found your soul mate, cuddle them close and make sure today you tell them beyond the candy, the cards, the flowers and the romantic dinner how much they enrich your life.