A Hopeless Romantic

I have a confession to make.  Are you ready for it…? I am a hopeless romantic.  I watched a lot of television when I was growing up and because of this I have a tendency to mesh real life with fictional life.  I loved it because everything and everyone always has a happy ending.  The girl always got the boy, the job, the house, the vacation, and even the child.  That is just how life was supposed to work.

Then something happened.  You could probably bet money on what I am about to say next.  I didn’t get “that boy”, I didn’t get “that job”, and I have never been to Prague.  Because of these things I started to question, “What was wrong with me?” There is always a happy ending in the movies, “Why not now?”  It must be because I wasn’t skinny enough, or pretty enough, or even smart enough.  Maybe it was because I wasn’t worth it.

That is about the time I began to hear the whispers in my ear.  “For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.” 2 Corinthians 2:4 

Cue the next character of my story.  In walks Jesus, courting me.  Telling me things that I have never heard before.  I was smitten.  How was it that someone of my character could be so loved by Him?  He gradually picked up my broken pieces and put me back together.  He taught me something very important.  He taught me how to love myself and most importantly how to forgive myself for my past mistakes.  If I couldn’t love myself, then it becomes very difficult to love others, and even for others to love you.  He made me whole again. 

In his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  1 Peter 1:3

Funny thing is that looking back, I am thankful that I didn’t get “that boy” and “that job”.  I needed to go through the refining process in order to bring out my full radiance.  Without it, I would still be a dull stone searching for love in not so healthy places.  I recently come across a passage that read, “Not only does God offer us enduring love, He also extends to us endearing love, a strong affection that lifts one higher or increases the value of the one beloved.”  I find comfort in the fact that we are diamonds in the rough.

Many years later, I still hope for that happy ending in each scenario that surface.  The only difference is that I hold hope in the greater power of Jesus and not in Hollywood.  I married the right boy, landed the right job, live in a house that fits our family perfectly, and have three wonderful children.

However, I am still holding out for Prague.  Yes, I got my happy ending, but thankfully it is only the beginning.

Thankful, Kelly Ross