So There’s This Guy

With Spring came so much joy and excitement.The earth awoke from its slumber, and with it, its sleepy inhabitants. The flowers blossomed, their radiant faces lifted towards the sun’s warm caress. The birds sang, a sweet melody that I hadn’t realized I missed during the quiet, stillness of Winter. College students everywhere excitedly put away their sweaters and boots and broke out their Spring dresses and shorts. Colorful hammocks gently swayed in the trees. Smiles and laughter were contagious. Everything was perfect. Everything except for three little words. Ring by Spring. 

When I had first come to college, I totally thought that this phrase was just a joke amongst smaller Christian universities. A happy coincidence if couples found themselves embracing the saying. But it seemed like everywhere I looked, relationships, much like the flowers, were growing and blossoming. And on one hand, I was thrilled for all the couples moving onto the next step of their lives. And after all, I’m only a Freshman, so it’s not like the saying applies to me (nor do I want it to!). 

But I couldn’t ignore the small voice in the back of my mind. The small voice that reminded me of a conversation I had with a couple girlfriends of mine earlier that week. We had been happily catching up, sharing our semester experiences, when eventually, the topic I have always dreaded finally came up. Boys. It was in that moment that I had realized a disheartening truth, I was the only one in that group that was not in a relationship, nor had ever been in one.

Now I know many of you at this point of the post are thinking, “You go girl! You don’t need a guy in your life,” or “Hey, that’s great! Gives you more time to focus on your education,” and I am so not disagreeing with you. But being the hopeless romantic I am, I’ve always wanted to feel what it’s like to have someone who cares about you and delights in your company. Someone who wakes up and goes to bed thinking about you. Someone who can’t wait to see you and share every happy, sad, exciting, and boring moment of life with you. 

And so for the past couple of days, I’ve been chewing on this thought. Trying to quiet this little voice in the back of my mind that says, “Well maybe there’s something wrong with you,” “Maybe you haven’t met the right person yet,” and “Maybe there will never be a right person.” I’ve tried to purge these destructive thoughts from my mind, but as you can probably see for yourself, I haven’t been doing a pretty good job. Until today. 

I was getting ready for my first class this morning and was not very happy with what I saw in the mirror. I had a giant zit on my chin, deep, purple circles under my eyes, and I could tell it was going to be a bad hair day. And on top of everything, I ran out of my concealing foundation. So I just stood there, stared at my reflection, and wanted to cry. And I know that sounds silly, but I feel like some of you can relate. I continued to get ready and eventually headed to my windowsill to grab my jewelry. But when I walked over and opened the blinds, my breath was taken away. 

Outside was one of the most beautiful Spring mornings I had ever seen. The sky was a dazzling blue, the sunlight had a warn, comforting glow, and there was a beautiful bluebird perched on a nearby tree, singing his little heart out. And in the midst of it all, I felt a gentle, small voice in the back of my mind say “I made this for you.” 

I immediately broke down and had to quiet my sobs before I woke up my roommate who was asleep just a couple feet away from me. But that’s when the thought (although somewhat cliché) occurred to me. I get so caught up in lack of affection from guys on earth that I forget about the ultimate affection from the most important guy in Heaven. 

Now next time one of my girlfriends asks me the disheartening question about my relationship status, I won’t hang my head and say the all too familiar line, “I don’t have a boyfriend, I have never had a boyfriend, and I will probably become a nun or crazy dog lady.” Instead, I’ll tell them this: 

So there’s this guy. He’s unlike any guy I’ve ever met or will ever meet. His love is so pure and genuine and deep. I never question His affection for me. Never question whether He will grow tired of me. Never question if He thinks I’m beautiful. Never question if He thinks about me or wants to share every moment of life with me. He finds ways to remind me that He loves me every day. He paints dazzling patterns in the sky to cheer me up. He sends gentle breezes to caress my cheeks and remind me of His constant presence. I never have to worry about being myself around Him. Never have to question whether or not I’m good enough for Him. I know that my quirks bring a smile to His face. I know that my fears and insecurities can be broken down by His goodness. He is always loving, always faithful, always understanding, always present, always encouraging. But most importantly, His is always enough.

So my prayer for you is that you never forget His ultimate, perfect love, whether you are a college student surrounded by sappy couples and Spring engagements, or someone who has simply forgotten how great His affection for you is. May His perfect love be a constant, filling presence in your life. Because His love is always enough. 

In Him,

Gabi

Zephaniah 3:17

“The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.”