Guest Post: Melissa from Grin and Barrett!

Hi everyone! Melissa from over at Grin and Barrett kindly offered to do a guest post today!

She is so lovely and this post is so beautiful!

I hope all of you go over and say hi at her blog as well :)

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Hi xoxo, Jamie Brooke Readers! 

I'm Melissa and I blog over at Grin and Barrett. First and foremost I am a follower of Christ and everything else comes second. I have a pretty unique love story and I have seen God's hand in every step of this journey from dating to marriage to newlywed. As a young girl growing up, I imagined what my husband would be like. I didn't imagine his face or his hands or his eyes. I imagined his heart and I imagined he would be a follower of Christ and love the Lord with his whole heart. I dated quite a bit in high school. I guess you could say I was the girl that always had a boyfriend. Much of my self-esteem was centered around having a boyfriend and how he treated me. I defined myself by how my boyfriend defined me. Now, I did not date complete jerks and I didn't date guys who were bad guys by any means. But, they just weren't "him", you know? I was certain that in college, I would find my soul mate. I went to a Christian college, so it seemed like the safe option. I thought, "Okay I am around Christian young men, many of whom are good looking, I am bound to find him here". Well, not so much. I dated a couple of guys here and there and the chance of marriage was there, but still, it wasn't right. For five years I had an on and off boyfriend, but it never felt natural. Every time we would break up and get back together, it felt as though we were together out of obligation. Not exactly dream marriage material. 

After college, I assumed my on and off boyfriend and I would marry. Something always held us back, so we ended our back and forth relationship. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy. Old habits die hard as they say. As much comfort it was to be together, something was telling me, "no more". A month later I was perusing a bookstore when a fine looking man walked by. He looked older to me, so I assumed he was already married (not for long). We began talking, I checked his ring finger, and we were good to go (thank God!). We talked for quite a while before exchanging numbers and we talked for hours everyday since. Leading up to our first date, I already knew I loved him. At the same time I thought I was crazy, and so was he. I had no business being serious with anyone, I had just ended a very long relationship. One that I assumed would lead to marriage. Little did I know, this new guy was thinking and feeling the same way. A short five weeks later we were engaged (not a shock to us). Everyone had their opinion, but we knew it was right. Then, three months later we were married. So if you total the time from hi how are you to I do. It was roughly 12 weeks time. Nuts, I know! 

I say all of that to say this. God works in His own timing and even when you're feeling lost, He is there guiding your steps. I think in some ways I knew this would happen to me. My parents met and married in the same exact amount of time. Growing up I had heard stories, but never really thought about it. After experiencing a whirlwind romance, I know that all is how it should be. Love takes time. Can I say that without you laughing? Love does take time. Everyone's love story is different, but without God in our lives, our love story would have a much different beginning. If you are on the dating scene, heed this advice as much as you can. Do not force someone to be the one. Allow the one to come into your life when you and he, or you and she (any guys out there?) are ready. It literally changed my life for the better. Married life is wonderful and this month marks our two year anniversary. If you would like to read more, or learn more about me and the hub's crazy adventure, head on over to G&B and stay a while. You'll realize real quick what goofballs we are!