Holding Out For The Right Man, Sticking To Your Dreams, and Waiting for God. Kyle & Rachels Love Story
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WEDDING DAY BLISS
“Young girls dream of the perfect man that will one day be their husband.”
Today I am going to share Kyle & Rachel’s love story from the eyes of Rachel. Her sweet desire for the man she knew she was worthy of. This story shares a little into the patience and determination she had to stick to her gut and her dreams. She waited on God and he came through for her.
“This dream man is perfect in every way from character to appearance. This dream is amplified and fed by a steady dose of romantic films and Disney movies.
These films make an unrealistic vision for the future. The dream abruptly collides with reality when you start to experience the dating world. My reality hit at the age of fifteen. When I was fifteen, a guy from church started pursuing me. It became clear as we got to know each other that his lifestyle was very different from mine. For him, God was for Sunday, nothing more. The more time we spent together, the more I realized I liked being liked more than I liked him. We eventually broke up. This drove me to make a list of specific character attributes for my future husband to have. The list consisted of 15 points. (I am not sharing her personal list here today)Â None of them were about physical attributes.
I would pray for this man; I would pray for me to be the woman God wanted me to be for the man He wanted.
I kept the list next to Proverbs 31 in my Bible and would pray these verses over myself. As life continued, I noticed every man I was interested in fell short of this list. It left the guy frustrated and me discouraged. I wanted to alter the list to make the guy fit into the 15 point mold. I started to wish I could erase some of the characteristics I chose. The list became nothing more than an unanswered prayer and an unrealistic standard that a fifteen-year old girl invented.
Fast forward through a few boyfriends and college graduation when I started working as a high school math teacher. I quickly became overwhelmed with the new responsibilities and the 45 minute commute (one way). My boyfriend at the time, however, had me tied to that school.
As we got to know each other, my list was both ignored and forgotten. Around Spring Break, my boyfriend told me of his plan to move to California and that I should consider changing schools with him. There was also gossip spreading around the school of almost half the math teachers leaving. Over that Spring Break, I applied to (and received) a job at a new district. As the year continued, word spread of my school change. The friends I thought I had abandoned me. My relationship ended as well. I was devastated. I felt all alone.
When I started at Chandler High, all the new teachers were assigned mentors. Mine was Michelle Swartz.
As I got to know her, she became more than a mentor: a friend. She shared about her relationship with Jesus and her passionate devotion to Him. I knew it was a sign from God that I had made the right decision. She helped me with more than teaching tips; she taught me how to experience the love of God. She taught me how to walk in forgiveness and love instead of guilt and shame. For five months she taught me so many things and even began to share about her personal life. Not knowing God’s plan, Michelle began to tell me all about her children. Both of her children had gone to the school where I was working. One of them, Kyle, was just about to finish college. Many of my coworkers knew Kyle and began to plan what to wear to the wedding. The math office exploded with gossip. We both loved Jesus; it seemed natural. I felt it was far-fetched. He was in Dallas. I was in Arizona. I didn’t see any possibility of us meeting.
God isn’t bound by location, however.
At Chandler High, the students were going through a testing period for the ACT. As I taught the Freshman, my classes were utterly bored. Michelle was having Kyle, who was home for Thanksgiving Break, come and talk to her students about academic success. When she asked me if I wanted him to come to my class, I said, “yes, please.†Each time he spoke to my classes, I had to resist texting his mom about how cute he was. At the end of the school day, he helped me grade. His handwriting was awful, but he was a great help. Even though I thought he was cute and interesting, I could only see the location issue.
The next day, his mom invited me to a Thanksgiving party. Her son just “happened†to be going. My grandmother was in town, but she told me to go and make some friends. Because Kyle was the only guy there, the evening immediately turned into a “girls’ night.†We all watched The Proposal until midnight. I had a wonderful time. The next week, I reported to one of my friends about the evening and this mystery man. Although there were only good things to share, I still felt the relationship was unrealistic because of the distance.
Two weeks passed and Michelle said her baby would be moving back to Arizona in the time between college and medical school.
Both of our semesters were ending soon. I was getting stressed. I was trying to finish all of my grading and I didn’t see how it would be possible. As I was expressing my concern to Michelle, she told me Kyle was excellent at grading (she had enlisted his services many times). She also told me he would be done with school the week before our final grades were due. I quickly proceeded to contact Kyle about helping to grade my papers. Unbeknownst to me, he was in the middle of leading a study group for his Molecular Biology final. His reply was a most enthusiastic “yes.†I was both shocked and grateful. There was a pause on the other line until I heard, “well, could I have your number?†He paused again. “In case I get lost or have a question.†It was a bit obvious why he wanted my number, since I worked in the room next to his mom, but I gave it to him anyways. Or, at least, I thought I did. I missed a digit. Michelle contacted me a while later and asked if I meant to give Kyle the wrong number. She said that if I did it was totally fine. I corrected it immediately and its been a running joke ever since.
When he came at the end of the semester, he spent the entire day grading papers. At the end of the day, he asked if I’d like to hang out outside of school and grading papers.
I said yes while trying not to squeal. Our first date was Moana on 12/22/16.
As I got to know him, I noticed he had a lot of things on my list. So, I opened it for the first time in a long time. I realized that was the only thing I didn’t know. I knew I had to ask. On a walk, late at night with my pulse pounding in my hand, I told him, “Don’t think anything about this question or how you answer.†I saw the stars overhead and waited for my breath to catch up with me. I asked him, “Have you ever done drugs or alcohol?â€
He was quiet as I stared at him. Finally, he said, “Well, my mom gave me a dose of prescription cough syrup one time when I couldn’t sleep.†I started laughing. That’s when I realized he met everything on my list. He was everything I had prayed for.
Waiting for the right man was a challenge.
There were times of doubt, when I wanted to throw my list away. There were times of prayer, when I would stare at that list and pray it over and over again. There were times of let-downs, times of heart ache, and times of pain. There were times of difficulty. But now, as I stare into his eyes and know I have found my person, there are times of hope. I waited. God answered my prayer.”
I hope you were encouraged by this tender and romantic story. Enjoy the beautiful wedding day!
Holding Out For The Right Man, Sticking To Your Dreams, and Waiting for God. Kyle & Rachels Love Story
Vendor Love
It takes a village, or maybe a tribe? Either way here are all the lovely vendors & artists that Kyle & Rachel choose to make their dream wedding.
Photographer: Fully Alive Photography
Getting Ready & Portraits: San Marcos/Crown Plaza Chandler
Ceremony & Reception Venue: Soho 63
Florist: Butterfly Petals
Cake: Piece Of Cake
DJ: Keo Entertainment Wedding DJ Serice
Makeup: Halle Honicker
Stylist: Kendra w/Â kolourmekendra
Wedding Gown & Bridesmaids: Ivory Row
Menwear: Â Men’s Wearhouse
Rings: John Yourk Jewelry Designs
Stationary: Minted
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