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In the devotion before the last one, Pastor Steve told his story about how a man walked into a church. Let me tell you mine.

I was on my own for a year and four months before Adam moved in with me. I had given him the choice of staying or moving out with me when I moved out. He chose to stay with the dogs.

My sister told me it was probably better that way. It gave me a chance to heal.

Let’s just say my marriage ended up not being a biblical marriage. He was controlling and manipulative. My marriage ended when he made it clear to me that he was going to put his unrealistic desires before the welfare of the family.

I didn’t give up on marriage. I knew that, even though I didn’t have a good one, that wasn’t a slap against the institution of marriage.

I prayed that God would send me someone with whom I could have a real marriage. I wanted to try again.

But I was also terrified of trying again. How much of the failed marriage was my fault?

I wasn’t sure if I could trust someone else. What if I thought I had found Mr. Right, only to have him again be Mr. Wrong in disguise?

Then there was the issue that I had been on my own and with Adam for ten years. Am I so set in my ways I don’t need someone? Am I willing to let someone in?

Am I willing to love someone? Can I risk my heart again?

These were all of the questions that I was asking myself.

I kept asking God, can I meet someone at church if You really want someone in my life?

Then God told me that He wanted me to be a preacher’s wife. I wasn’t sure He had the right lady for the job.

I told God that it would be okay if He wanted to rethink that. He reminded me that He never changed His mind.

Then a man walked into a church.

No, I didn’t remember him right off. It took me long enough to remember Julie — and I felt so horrible that I didn’t remember her right off.

Julie and I had a great time in choir. She was one of my best friends at the time.

But we didn’t make arrangements to keep track of each other after choir ended. Maybe we thought we would have another class together. Maybe we just thought we would see each other around campus.

We didn’t keep track. I did see her one day in Walmart. She said she had married a guy from choir. (I didn’t remember him then, either.)

I mean, we didn’t ever say a single word to each other. He was just some cute guy across the room.

I was too much of a mouse. I would never strike up a conversation with a cute guy — then.

But here Pastor Steve was at church. I was the good church member and welcomed the guest.

Let’s put this in context, though. This was two days after I got the seizure diagnosis. The first horrible medicine hadn’t started working on me.

It didn’t take long.

So Pastor Steve saw me go from being a functioning adult to someone we thought was dying.

I was walking like a 100-year-old woman. Adam had to help me out of bed sometimes.

One Sunday, Pastor Steve wasn’t at church. Later that night, he sent me a message through Facebook to see how I was doing.

Yep. Pastor Steve had gone out of town — but was thinking about me and my health.

About a month later, Pastor Steve messaged me again. And he did daily — eventually a couple of times a day.

Then in October, Pastor Steve asked me to go to supper with him. I had figured the texting had to either fizzle out or go up to the next level.

Pastor Steve has had to put up with my bone-chilling terror as I worked through all those questions I asked earlier — and more. He has started to show me what love can be — what it is supposed to be.

I just wasn’t sure if I could do marriage again. I know I had prayed for it.

What is the saying? Be careful what you pray for — you might get it.

That was about where I was. Until one day, God tapped me on the shoulder. He said, “You don’t have to trust Him. You have to trust Me.”

The walls started coming down. Pastor Steve has shown me that I can trust Him.

Most importantly, I can trust God.

I had given up on finding love again. God brought Pastor Steve to me.

Father God. Thank You that You have plans for our lives. We make decisions based on feelings and limited vision. You make decisions on what is best for Your kingdom. Thank You for bringing Pastor Steve and I together. We seek to serve You. Amen.