Isaiah and I
were engaged on October 28, 2010. It was on this day that Isaiah told
me that God had revealed to him whom he was to marry and that it was
me!
Here is the
story of that wonderful evening:
Place: In the (college) church auditorium. Isaiah
and Lizzie were sitting in separate pews in the front section of the
middle pews. Isaiah was in a pew in front of Lizzie.
Time: After
the Thursday Night Service perhaps around 8:15pm.
And the story
begins...
After the
service finished, Isaiah turned around to face Lizzie.
Lizzie: You're
pretty busy, what you doing?
Isaiah: I'm
learning.
Isaiah begins
fidgeting and gets nervously quiet, which was very abnormal for him
since he always talked a lot when he and Lizzie were together.
Lizzie begins
talking about her day and Isaiah listens then both get quiet again.
They look at each other in silence for what seemed to be a long time.
Then suddenly, Isaiah randomly jumps up from the pew and paces
quickly out of the auditorium towards the doors on the left of the
pulpit area. Lizzie assumes he is going to the restroom.
Isaiah was
gone for about 10 minutes. Lizzie was afraid that by the time he came
back she'd have to leave right away. She hoped that he'd hurry. She
was a bit annoyed because she wanted to chat with him and knew her
dad would be there soon to pick her and her sisters up. She was
afraid they would have very little time to talk with one another and
she hated their limited time of being able to talk and share things
with each other. She longed for a time when they could sit and talk
without any interruption.
Isaiah finally
returned. He still was not being himself. He was all fidgety, picking
up his Bible and putting it down, then picking up a water bottle and
throwing it down, and then putting on his jacket and finally he sits
down, much to Lizzie's relief! Isaiah said nothing; he just sat
there. By now, Lizzie had had enough of this so she strikes up a
conversation.
Lizzie: So,
what's been going on?
Isaiah: What
do you mean?
Lizzie: What's
been going on? (she knew he knew what she meant)
Isaiah: Been
learning about prayer and how I think more than I pray. God's been
having me stick around after services and talk to Ben, Roak, and others.
Isaiah again
gets quiet. They sit in silence, neither of them knowing what to say
to the other. Isaiah begins to stare at something as if in another
world and then reproves himself for thinking. Lizzie simply smiles
and gives him a little giggle. Isaiah looks at Lizzie and then looks
away; he then begins to stare into space again. Lizzie smiles and
glances at him.
Lizzie: Are
you thinking again? About what?
Isaiah: No,
actually I'm praying.
Lizzie: Okay,
what are you praying about?
Isaiah: What I
should say to you next.
Lizzie: (a
little puzzled at why he'd have to pray about what to say to her)
Really?! Why? That's a little scary.
Isaiah:
Because you're always supposed to say the right thing, right?
Lizzie nods.
Isaiah: Why
does it scare you?
Lizzie: Well,
you don't scare me; it's just scary because I don't know what God
wants you to tell me.
Isaiah: I'm
glad I don't scare you.
Lizzie: So,
what are you supposed to tell me?
They look at
one another. Isaiah begins to fidget yet again and look for
distractions. Lizzie could tell that he was really nervous, but
didn't have a clue why. He'd never acted like this before.
Lizzie:
Well...?
Isaiah: Faith
is of God and we are to have faith in God. Every perfect gift comes
from above... (Isaiah continues to ramble on about faith in God.)
Lizzie:
(Doubting that's what he is supposed to tell her) Is that what God
wanted you to tell me or are you beating around the bush?
Isaiah: I'm
beating around the bush.
Isaiah throws
his water bottle.
Isaiah: (a
little irritated with himself) Even this is beating around the bush!
Isaiah looks
away from Lizzie and begins to bounce his leg up and down like crazy
and to tap the pew with his right hand. Lizzie feels so bad that he
is struggling to say whatever it is that he's supposed to say to her,
but her patience begins to dwindle.
Lizzie: Look,
if God whats you to tell me something, then just say it; I'm sure I
can handle it!
Isaiah looks
at Lizzie and then quickly looks away.
Lizzie: Do you
want to write it?
Isaiah: No, I
can say it. (Very annoyed with himself) It's just a matter of getting
my mouth to open.
By this time,
Lizzie's sister comes over to ask for Lizzie's phone so that she can
call Dad to pick them up. After her sister leaves, Lizzie continues
to coax the words out of Isaiah's mouth.
Lizzie:
Isaiah, just say it; if you don't say it soon you won't be able to,
because I'll be gone. My dad is coming to pick us up really soon.
Isaiah:
(Stumbles to begin) I know, okay. God told me (takes a nervous
breath) who I am supposed to marry.
Isaiah pauses
and Lizzie looks into his eyes. Isaiah points at Lizzie and
continues.
Isaiah: And
it's you. (takes another nervous breath) He told me that in May.
Lizzie: Oh. He
told me that my Freshman year.
Isaiah: That
soon?
Lizzie's
sister calls to her saying that Dad was there to pick them up and it
was time to leave.
Lizzie and
Isaiah stand up and begin to walk out of the pews. When Lizzie gets
to the end of the pew, she stops.
Lizzie: Thank
you for telling me.
Isaiah: Your
welcome.
Lizzie: It's
an answer to prayer.
Isaiah smiles
and looks more relaxed.
Lizzie leaves
the church building and gets in her dad's car trying her best to act
normal after being told the very thing she had been waiting so long
to hear from Isaiah. She replayed the incident in her mind over and
over. She didn't want to forget that moment; she wanted to keep it
for the rest of her life! She could not even believe what he said; it
seemed too good to be true! God really used this to increase her
faith in Him. The next step was for Isaiah to tell her Dad and she
hoped he'd tell him soon so that this new chapter of her life would
begin. She wanted to see so much more of Isaiah. She was so glad that
she could finally say that she knew that Isaiah loved her back.
