It matters because you matter to Him.

And I'm realizing more and more just how much I've neglected the most vital parts of who I am, of who I'm meant to be. When I'm focused inward, I miss out on divine opportunities to bless others -- to serve, to help, to protect, to befriend. To love beyond my own capacity and capability.

I love you,' I said, studying the extravagance and depth of her eyes. 'Even the crazy, impulsive parts of you that I don't always understand. Because those are the parts that have challenged me. That have changed me.

For the first time in my adult life, I want to give my heart to something that really matters -- something bigger than what I could have ever seen for myself or for my future.

I'm listening now, God.' Now that I have nothing left to give and nothing left to offer anyone.

Falling in love with you was not happenstance

The whole forbidden-romance thing . . . it's a myth. No woman ever marries the man they have to hide. The adventure, the adrenaline, those things are fun while they last. But that kind of commitment is as temporary as the heartache you feel now.

Love is more than flirty feelings and fun dates. It's about what lives underneath the surface. The commitment you keep even when life gets hard and all the fuzzy feelings fade.

How many paths had I avoided in life? How many times had I been content to stop at "close enough"--too afraid to push ahead? Too afraid to let go?Too afraid to give up . . . control.