Unanswered prayers

Remember the old Garth Brooks song? Or the relatively new “Broken Road” by Rascal Flatts? Here is where I disclose my love for country music (though I can most often be found listening to Veggie Tales Silly Songs, G.T. and the Halo Express, an Awana handbook set to a tune from the 1970’s, or on rare, cherished occasion, talk radio). But that is not my point. My thoughts today don’t even specifically relate to prayer. The theme of these two songs (and my post) is God’s grace in not sustaining certain relationships. Guys I wished and prayed and hoped would be mine, who God in His wisdom withheld. I dated a fair amount I guess. Danny teases me relentlessly about the number of guys my sister and I spent time with. One of his favorite games is “state-a-male-name-and-guess-which-sister-dated-someone-with-said-name.” It rarely works out quite as tidily as he expects, but then, compared to his family where both of his siblings dated their now-spouses for 6+ years, almost any amount of dating would look excessive. I had a handful of “serious” boyfriends through high school and college. I had a lot of male friends, some of whom I naturally developed crushes on. I usually had a date for the major school dances and banquets. I was by no means popular, but I wasn’t often lonely. My heart was not broken many times, but I remember longing for a man who would love me unconditionally and commit to me for life. There were a few times before I met Danny that I thought I knew who would be “The One.” Now I wonder what in the world I was thinking! Through the miracle of the internet, I’ve recently reconnected with many of the guys I was once interested in. Most of them are now mature, godly, responsible men. I’m still proud to call many of them friends, and not just of the Facebook variety. But they aren’t half as cute as I remember. Quirks I recall as endearing just aren’t. They have personality traits clearly incompatible with mine as a mate. In short, they don’t hold a torch to Danny. In fact they generally are attractive, fun, and interesting to talk to, but they weren’t made for me. I intend no indictment on these men, but rather want to give testimony to God’s wisdom in choosing the right man for me. Despite my many pleas (then) for others. I prayed for guys who clearly (now) were not that man. Instead, God kept me just for Danny and for that I will always be grateful. He was the perfect guy for me nearly 10 years ago, and he’s even more perfect for me now. Danny is the prayer I'm glad God answered with a "YES"!