I’m constantly encouraged by the way God is working in my life. I see it in the things around me, the positions He has put me in, and the challenges He is giving me. But most of all I see it through the people He is placing in my life –one in particular.
I had no idea that starting eight months ago life would never be the same. I had no idea that God had begun a relationship that would bring such glory to Himself. Glory in the form of worship, in the form of grace, in the form spiritual connection. God has truly provided me with someone special.
It was eight months ago this very day that I took this girl out to eat. I had eaten at this specific place only once or twice before, however this time I’ll never forget. It was our first date. She had no idea where we were going, and she was pretty set on finding out before we arrived. Traveling down Hwy. 59 she was quite persistent in asking where we’d be eating that night. Trying to come up with something clever (which I’m sometimes a little slow with), I looked to my left and saw the Methodist Hospital that is just south of Hwy 6. I looked to her, smiled, and said that we’d be eating at the hospital cafeteria. She had a nice laugh as I struggled to keep a straight face. A couple of seconds later she said “wait, you’re kidding right?” Indeed I was kidding. We went to Ruby Tuesday, and she ordered the grilled chicken pasta and broccoli. I don’t remember what I ordered…probably because her’s was so much better than mine…but she wouldn’t let me have any 
The days followed with many times of hanging out and just getting to know each other. I thought I had found heaven in finding a girl that loves sports as much as I do! We watched and went to several Astros games. This was especially fun. She knew the players, their stats, and she talked in-depth analysis with me to the point that I wanted to have her on as a guest of my radio show, The Prime Time Sports Report. It was amazing.
Then came a time in July that I remember as very, very hard for both of us. We were called to spend some time apart. We were to be examining our relationship and dealing with personal issues. It was quite hard on both of us because we had grown so fond of spending time with each other and getting to know each other. She had truly become one of my best friends.
This time of being apart turned out to be just what our relationship needed to really progress the way we wanted it to. We got back together on September 6, and it has been just great. We have developed an amazing spiritual aspect to our relationship in that we spend time in the word separately and together, and we pray separately and together. We have become a big part of each other’s spiritual lives. We feed each other spiritually. We encourage each other to worship and be in the word. It is truly everything I could ever want or ask for in the spiritual aspect of a relationship. I feel as though I have opened up in a way I have never opened to anyone. It is scary, and it is amazing. It feels good.
This girl, being a huge sports fan that she is, did not know a thing about football! I found this especially funny because she hails from a city with some of the most obnoxious, prideful football fans in the world –and with good reason. Their home team has been referred to more than once as “America’s Team” –The Dallas Cowboys! I vowed to teach her everything I know about the game of football. I explained to her the rules (i.e. the concept of 1st-4th downs, scoring, etc..). We watched the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Buffalo Bills on MNF back in the fall. This was still when she didn’t know much about the sport other than the Cowboys were really good and Tony Romo is the quarterback. The Cowboys made a miraculous comeback to win right before the end of regulation. It was amazing because I got to teach her about an onside kick and a 2 pt. conversion, and then she got to see an attempted 2 pt. conversion and a recovered onside kick by the Cowboys! I’ll never forget it. The Cowboys were down by 2 points, and Nick Folk was going for a pretty long field goal. We had just seen them score a touchdown and Folk, of course, kicked the extra point. That prompted Ada to say “but if he kicks a field goal it’s only one point, and they’re down by 2.” It was so cute. I then explained to her that field goals are worth three points. Folk kicked the ball through the uprights, and the Cowboys pulled off a miracle. It was a great sports moment, and sharing it with her made it better!
During Christmas break would come the time I would finally meet her family and Dallas friends. It was something we were both very nervous about as no one knew the reaction that would come. I arrived a couple of days before Christmas, and her family welcomed me with open arms. I felt so welcomed, so loved by her mother and father, her siblings, and her friends. I was able to go to a youth convention that was going on in Dallas. It was really cool to experience worship in Spanish. The Sunday afterward I went to Church with her, and saw her little brother, Joe, perform in the children’s Christmas play. I received a warm welcome from the entire Community as her father announced from the pulpit that I am his daughter’s boyfriend. It was really awesome. This is the welcoming that we prayed for for weeks and months. God answered our prayers…with a ‘yes.’
Her father allowed me to spend New Year’s with them as well. It was really cool to be with her Church on New Year’s Eve. Her father preached, and it was just really cool to be with her family and friends in worship and prayer to bring in the new year. It was great!
It was eight months ago today that I started dating the love of my life, Ada Benitez. She has been great to me and for me. She encourages me daily to live up to the pursuit of excellence we are called to have as believers. She encourages me with school, with work, with my spiritual life…in every aspect of life. I never knew I could love like this. She reminds me that we, as believers, are called to not be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds…and we’re called to let that transformation shine through in every aspect of our lives.
This is a Haiku I’ve written that pretty much sums up what I feel for her.
Love
To be a servant.
To serve you is what I want;
To be your servant.
God, thank you for what you are doing in my life. Thank you for revealing Yourself to me, and thank you for helping me redefine the word ‘love.’ Lord, please continue to give us guidance, and continue to grow in me this burden to serve her with everything in me –because by doing so, I’m not just serving her. I’m also serving You. Empower me to meet all of her needs. Thank you for your goodness, for Your grace, for Your mercy. Amen.
