a lesson in Love.

November 3, 2012. A day that might seem like an ordinary day to many of you. However, to me, it is the day that I began one of my greatest adventures.

For a long while, I had become convinced that relationships, let alone LOVE, just weren't for me. I hadn't had much luck in the category and figured I probably was in the small percentage of men who grow up to become the creepy guy who's house all the kids were afraid to go near, fearful they'd never make it home alive. It's a tough thought to swallow, but I just merely accepted my fate and moved on.

Much to my surprise, God had another plan for me.

As I sat at home watching the X Factor with my roommates, my phone let loose a buzz. "Hi, Phil!" The girl on the other end of the message was surely as nervous as I was. (This "encounter" had been set up the day before by her sister.) I was too nervous to respond, but knew I needed to make a witty reply in order to keep her interested.

"Hey there chica!"   Smooth. I know.

I would love to post all the messages we exchanged that night, but I don't think Google will allow me that large of a blog post. All you need to know is that nearly seven months later, that preppy blonde is still sending the butterflies in my stomach flying.

I think it's easy for most guys to misinterpret God's hope for relationships between men and women. "Relationship" is the most important thing to God. Think about it! We were created by love and through love to be loved and to give love. Love changes us. It creates a reaction that provides energy, both emotional and spiritual, for life. Relationship is intended by God to be an experience that exposes us, transforms us, and mends us.

This woman that God has placed in my life has taught me these things and more. I think of how closed off I allowed myself to get, and how with love I accepted vulnerability. I remember the times when I hid true feelings, and how with love I became who He created me to be. I look back on the moments of brokenness, and how with love I have been pieced back together.

I have been blessed by the past seven months. And to ignore that truth would make me a fool. I know that the Lord has much more for me to learn, and He will surely place moments before me that teach me to be humble. But I rest confidently on His promise to never lead me down a road or path I am not capable of meneuvering.