It was so worth waiting 21 years for my 3rd birthday present!

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To say that I was really bad at choosing who to “date” is a gross understatement. I mean it’s embarrassing to think about. So when I gave my life to Christ at the age of 23, I decided I was going to stop trying to find Mr. Right and just date Jesus instead.

Calm down… I didn’t mean in some cult-like creepy way. I just meant that I had entered into this new relationship with my Lord and Savior and it was time to get to know Him. Clearly, I was no good at making decisions in my life. I knew I needed to focus on learning how to live the life God longed for me to have and thus learn how to make better relationship decisions.

One of my new Christian friends was a lovely girl named Diana. She had been a missionary through YWAM and spent several years at their Hawaii location. I know… God if you are going to call me to serve somewhere, let it be Hawaii, right? She and I had similar pasts and could relate on many levels.

She told me about having a YWAM professor who had been a hot mess. When he turned his life over to Christ, he swore off women and wanted to just focus on Jesus. Then he met a girl. He begged God to take her away or to give him a sign that he should pursue her. He quickly learned that they shared a birthday. He knew that it was a sign from God and ended up marrying her.

Diana then told me about Eddie. A guy she met at YWAM. A guy that she wanted God to take away because she wanted to focus on Jesus. Guess what? Yep. Same birthday. They ended up getting married and now have 5 kids.

Shortly after hearing this story, I met Adam. He was so fun and handsome and kind. Yet I begged God to take Him away. I had only been a believer for a few months and did NOT want the distraction. We hung out with a group of friends from church, but I refused to give in to my emotions.

One night, Adam, Lindy and I went to Steak and Shake. Somehow we started talking about birthdays. Adam said his was the same as mine. Lindy also knew about Diana’s story. We immediately demanded to see his driver’s license. Upon confirmation, she and I completely freaked out. Needless to say, a year and half later I got to marry my best friend.

Having worked in youth ministry for almost a decade, I always feel the need to clarify a couple of things:

• No, you will probably not share a birthday with your future spouse, so don’t put it on your list of things you must have in a spouse.
• I don’t believe that everyone will or should get married. Just look at Paul. So don’t get hung up on where you’ll find a spouse, instead focus on living for Christ. If you are going to find a spouse, trust God to bring him/her to you.

What our story shows me is that God is amazing and He is still very active in our lives today. Sometimes He speaks in a still small voice. Other times He screams through a megaphone… or driver’s license… whatever the case may be. The bottom line is that when you focus on Him… and I mean truly focus on Him… He’ll let you know when He’s got something to say to you.

If it weren’t for having the same birthday, I would have stuck to my guns and continued to date Jesus and Jesus alone. And I would have missed out on sharing my life with and serving the Lord with my best friend who just so happens to be the most amazing father and husband that I know. 

I didn’t meet my third birthday present until I was 24. I think it’s safe to say it was worth the wait, because he’s the best present I’ve ever gotten!