I never expected this ride to include God, but His radical love and acceptance blew me away. Nothing else mattered, like who I was or what I’d done. He saw it all and still, He loved me. 

You like telling your stories,” said my friend in that coffee shop, “because you’re secure enough in your current self, the self that’s firmly established in a godly life, that you can laugh at your mistakes, even the dark moments, while pointing to the light you stand in right now and say, ‘See? if I made it, so can you.

I believe existence is meant to be a love story. 

And without boundaries and a healthy support system, I didn’t know how to protect myself. Boy did I need someone to lock me in a turret, cut off my hair, and hide the key in the belly of a dragon. Trouble was, I didn’t live in a fairy tale and happily ever after wasn’t looking likely.  After Alex, sex came easily. 

And I know, as we stand in the checkout line at the grocery store reading the latest scandal sheet, our culture tells us we can boil everything down to ten steps. But when it comes to a thing with God, I can’t do that. I think He’s got a unique adventure for each of us. For those who want it. 

I didn’t set out to look for God, but He didn’t trick me either. He’s not like that. So much about God is not like I thought. He’s way cooler than anyone said. And I did need Him, just not in the way others tried to package Him. This One, who’s capable of bringing us out the other side of whatever we’ve been through, is gentle, never hurried, and always present, even when He’s silent. 

That night, I continued my on-going chat with God. “Did Pam’s prayer count? I love her. And I understand her wanting a ticket to heaven, but her prayer seemed more like fire insurance against hell than a heartfelt desire to hang out with You.”  “Don’t worry.” God smiled. “No one comes to me with pure motives.”  Wow! I thought for a minute. “You really do love us, don’t You?”  “I do.

It turns out happiness does come in relationship with the right guy.  I found my Prince Charming in Jesus, my very own freedom fighter, supernatural life coach, and Prince of Peace. He comes through every time, saves me because He can’t not. That’s His nature. And I’ve peeked ahead to the end of the story. The Bible says He’s coming back to get us, riding on a white horse; no wonder that makes my heart skip a beat. 

Whenever I speak to a group, I always ask, “God, what is it You want me to say?”  Over and over, and as if for the first time, He says, “Make sure . . .”  I lean in, curious, totally forgetting the last twenty times. “Make sure of what?”  “Make sure you tell them,” He pauses for effect, “that I love them.” 

When I gave [God] a chance, I got what I believe He has for everyone, a unique and personal adventure that not only includes God but the destiny He wrote on each of our hearts. It doesn’t come without challenge, because, well, a story without tension would be boring.  If we could ask Cinderella, she’d tell us that living out a fairytale is harder than watching one on TV. But the thrill? We’d never get that from an armchair.