Easy to LOVE

Well, it's my husband's birthday today and I forgot til after he had left for work! I can hardly believe it.....it's the aspartame! What other excuses can I find for my decreasing memory skills...?

So, I've been thinking about him this morning and remembering how blessed I am. How when we wait for what God has for us it is very, very good. And God's timing is always right.

Russ came into my life at a time when I was pretty broken and very needy. I was in a place where I desperately needed God to heal my heart. And God faithfully did that.

When I first met him, he entered the dining hall mouth first! He was so loud and outgoing he scared me. Everyone loved him....everywhere he went. That is something that has always been part of him. He loves people and people love him....much because he is real and so easy to relate to. I have always loved his honesty.

Time went by and we became friends. There was a group of us that hung out together. I was pretty much a wallflower in the group. Happy to be there, glad to smile or give a hug but not overly vocal about my life or opinions.

There are two events that are forever etched in my memory. Somehow we ended up alone talking on the stairs in the dorm. There had been a ministry time and I was very emotional. I just wanted to be loved for who I was....tired of trying to keep the perfect face on and be how I thought people wanted me to be. I was fighting to be free. Russ asked if he could pray for me. He took my hand, with no romantic thoughts, only kindness, and prayed for the Lord to fill the void in my heart and when HIS time was right to bring someone special into my life who would love me for who I was.

It was such a pure moment. Neither one of us saw what was coming. We were friends and that was enough. And then one night, something changed....

We were all goofing around in my friend's room playing chubby bunny. (stuffing marshmallows in our mouths til no more could fit!) That was a LONG time ago! The topic of the word CUTE came up. Russ proceeded to describe how the word could mean different things. His last description was... and then there's CUTE ... like Yanna. The red began at my toes and crept to my face. I couldn't do anything but laugh. But something went off inside me. HE THINKS I'M CUTE!

That was the turning point. My heart warmed up and I saw him in a different light from then on. The rest is history! We've had so many adventures since then. Some fun and some extremely tough to get through but we've made it.

Just last week I realized that I have been blessed with a husband who is easy to love. Yah, like everyone else, we have our moments and struggles to work through. We're still learning about each other. But still, I am blessed. I told him that. He still continues to love me for who I am and is definetly the answer to the prayer he prayed for me so many years ago.

The moral of the story....don't get tired of waiting. God's timing is not ours, it is perfect for each of us. Don't accept second best in your life. What HE has for you is very, very good.

Happy Birthday to a man who is still very easy to love!