I wandered a bit looking at different titles, but I had enough works of fiction at home and I knew I wanted something that would help me on my year of no dating. I headed to the Self Help section. I want to improve myself for God, myself, and my future husband. I want to learn to live in the moment and appreciate my time here on earth as a gift from God. I want to learn to use every moment in preparation for entering His Heavenly kingdom. I was reading the titles and picking up books and putting them back, judging each carefully.
Then he showed up.
Before I continue, let me make it known to everyone that Belle is my absolute favorite Disney princess. She was brunette and beautiful and French and loved books. She was basically everything I ever wanted to be when I was younger. My dream was to meet a boy in a bookstore (probably in the religion section obvi), fall madly in love, and be married and have 6 children who all love and adore books as much as we do. Sooooooo a boy in a bookstore is a major, crazy temptation. And it's only day three. But I digress...
I noticed someone was now next to me reading the titles from the same shelves I was. I continued my search. He picked out a book and looked at it. Then he spoked up, "have you read this?"
I had and answered yes. Our conversation began. He looked around my age, if not a bit older. He was brunette, good looking, and had a cute smile. He was one of those guys who you just know is a good guy immediately
40 minutes later, I knew his name, a bit about his family, and what he studied in school. It was so nice to get to learn about the life of someone new. It was a simple conversation, but I learned so much. I gave him my email address so he can email me about a volunteer opportunity for me in the fall when I return to Bloomington (I'm here now!)
I wasn't flirting. I wasn't giggling superficially. I wasn't doing anything. I was being me. Just me.
It felt so freeing. He may be interested in me in that way, he may not. Either way, he saw me as a person. We talked easily and casually. We were equally interested in each other as human beings.
This is how a friendship blossoms. This is how you get to know someone. This is how every good relationship begins. A simple interest in who a person is. With my future husband, I want a start like this. Let's be friends first. Let's get to know one another. Let's be directed by a general interest in each other first and then we'll get to the love stuff once we know who we're falling in love with.
For me, this also was a way for me to think about my relationship with God. Have I taken an interest in Him? What questions have I asked? What stories do I know? Recently, I have been reading the Gospels. I'm more than halfway through Matthew. I want to get to know Jesus Christ. I want to know His stories. God has such an interest in all of us. He cares so deeply for even the tiniest aspects of our lives. He deserves that same interest in Him from us. I have been sucked in. Our God is an amazing god! Amazing! His Word reveals so much to us just as talking with a stranger in a bookstore can reveal so much.
So I am going to continue read the Gospels and get to know Him. In the future, I want to get to know a guy more before I consider dating him. I want to get an honest view of who he is as a person. Everyone is wonderful and on their best behavior when meeting someone they are attracted to. When I date someone again, I don't want him to be a fluffed up version. I want the real deal. I want to know all about Him just as I want to know all about my God.
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