“I waited for 13 years. I was a single mom, and I made a lot of really poor choices. I became so bitter and lonely that I almost just gave up on the dream of sharing my life with someone. A little while after I came to Gateway, I lost my job and hit rock-bottom. But that’s when I completely turned my heart over to God, and that’s when He really started to work in my life. I felt like God was telling me to be part of Gateway Worship. I kept telling God that I was not qualified to step out on that platform, but He was gently insistent, so I joined the choir. It was such a sweet time getting integrated into the choir family, but I still felt like I was missing something. I wanted to be married. I remember sitting in my living room one day crying and praying to God that I didn’t know what else I needed to do to be ready for somebody, and I remember the Lord speaking very gently and saying, “He’s not ready for you yet.” I realized that I needed to quit beating up on myself and just rest in knowing what was promised was coming. It wasn’t easy. My prayer chair became ground zero. Dedicated time with my journal and a God who listens and speaks were what got me through. A year later, a guy named Matt joined the choir. I could tell he was interested in me, and a few months later, after getting to know each other more during choir rehearsals and me batting my eyelashes a lot, Matt and I really hit it off. On our first date, we got pho noodles and tried disastrously to go sing karaoke. We ended up sitting on a bench in downtown Grapevine and talking late into the night. A year later, he proposed to me in the choir rehearsal room where we first met, and the choir sang at our wedding. Now we have a sweet new baby together, and he’s a wonderful stepdad to my first daughter. You’ll never convince me that God doesn’t keep His promises.”
May 11, 2018