Friday, 27 June 2008

• If you have given or received a marriage proposal, will you share the story?

  So I was about to pull the ring out of my pocket when who else would take our order at Waffle House but Al Gore?!? With a smile on his face and a global friendly twinkle in his eye he asked for our order. I asked him, "Dude. Al. Shouldn't you be traveling around the world in a Toyota Prius powered by solar pannels? What are you doing here at the Waffle House?" His smile faded into a frown as his eyes focused on the dirty syrup soaken floor. He ran away into the kitchen sobbing throwing people out of his way. The cashier said to a customer, "He does this every day. Poor sap." After fifteen minutes of what the heck just happened Al gathered himself and approached our table once more asking for our order. I dropped the ring out of my hand into my left front pocket deciding that here and now isn't the engagement story I want to pass on to our kids.

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  In all honesty it wasn't Al Gore or the Waffle House but it was one for the ages...

  Timeline, January 2007

  Jordan and I had been dating for a little over a year. We both knew we were in love with one another and were ready to begin our lives together. Jordan was working part time at Price Cutter (local grocery store) and my only source of income was from the church. Between the two of us our combined incomes around $1500 a month. We knew it wasn't much, but we had faith that God would take care of us.

  On the first Monday in January of 07 we both visited my Pastor and his wife for their thoughts on us getting married. They both told us that they thought we were ready. Pastor Steve said, "No one is financially able to get married just like no one ever has enough money to have a kid. But you step out in faith knowing that if you both put God first in your life that you will be fine. All of your needs will be met according to his glorious riches." After an hour or so of counselling we stopped by Subway and went to my apartment for the rest of the evening.

  I was sure that her parents would say yes, however, Jordan wasn't so sure. She brought up every reason why they would say no, but I insisted that they would be more then happy to have me as a son-n-law.

  On Tuesday morning I called people asking for prayer because that evening after dinner I would ask for her hand. I needed the prayer because I was a nervous wreck. I shook all day, had no appetite, and just hoped for the best. Around 6 that evening we had Pork Roast, some sort of vegetable, and a pasta dish. I ate as much as I could, but knew in a few short minutes my heart would be ready to virtually explode.

  Around 7 that night I knew it was time. After fighting my will for a good twenty minutes I finally said to Jordans dad, "Andy, I want to ask you something very important." He turned down the television and focused straight in on me like an eagle ready to swoop down on a unsuspecting mackerel. I continued, "Andy, Sue, I am asking for your daughter's hand in marriage." Both Andy and Sue stared me straight in the eyes with bewilderment running down their faces. Andy said, "You wanna do what!?" What began was an hour long assault on why they would not give us their blessing. Their many reasons included.

  • We were too young. I was 21, she was 20. I brought up the fact that my parents married while they were 18, heck my dad was still in high school while mom had graduated early. This October the 20th they celebrate 29 years together! However, Andy was 27 while Sue was 23 when they married. They wanted us to wait a couple years.
  • We didn't make enough money. Yes, I know by all standards we would have been dirt poor. So poor we wouldn't have had a pot to piss in. But we did have God who controls all the money in the world. Wasn't that enough.
  • We weren't done with college yet. I had one semester left while Jordan had a year a half left to go.
  • We had only been dating for a year or so. They said that we really didnt know each other yet.
  • We were unequally yoked. How could I as a protestant dare to compromise scripture by marrying a Catholic. Besides her parents made a vow to raise her Catholic for her whole life. Her dad asked me, "Did I really know what I was asking her to give up?" At the time I wanted to ask him how dare he take that verse out of context. Because if he meant what he said by us being unequally yoked then one of us was an unbeliever, and I bet you know which one he thought wasn't saved.

  I felt shocked and hurt. Jordan was silent during the whole exchange. To her parents it appeared as though I was annexing Jordan. Around 8:30 Jordan said that we needed to go to Wal-Mart, but really it was her excuse of getting out of the house. We headed over to my house. We went inside and proceeded to call everyone telling them the wedding planning was a no go. My pastor couldn't believe it. My parents were shocked beyond belief. Jordan, well, her Italian temper came out. On me. She screamed at me as I balled my eyes out. She made it seem as though it was all my fault. Thats the way it felt too.

  We went back to her house to find her parents fighting about God knows what. As I left around 10:30 Jordan made me promise to go to my parents house to spend the night fearing that I was going to hurt myself because of her parents rejection.

  That period of time became very hard on both of us as we struggled for Gods will in our lives and losing my older sister to heart failure the following Monday evening. We both planned for the worse in case her parents through her out. I gave her the engagement ring anyways hoping in some way her parents would know that I wasn't going to be scared off.

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  Timeline, June 2008.

  Jordan and I are still together. We love each other more then ever and have started making semi arrangements for next Spring some time after Easter (I have a wedding that Im officiating the Friday before Easter of 09.) Jordan still works at Price Cutter but has plans of using her medical degree or going back to Nursing School. I still work at the church but also work in the water department of the city government of Poteau, Oklahoma. I make fair working man's wages, plus have medical, dental, accidental, and every other type of insurance you could think of. We both know its not our incomes or our insurance that will take care of us, but our God. We both make God our first priority in our money and living and he has blessed us richly for it.

  Her parents have warmed up. Her dad has dropped the unequally yoked and truly accepts our soon marriage as a real marriage in the eyes of Christ. Her mom seems semi anxious and afraid as she will send her first daughter down the aisle.

  So sometime down the road next April or May in the Spring of 09 you can be assured that two people on fire for God and in deep love with one another will exchanging vows for the lifelong commitment that they will begin to take and later that evening enjoy the gift of sex for the first time for either one of them.

  
  
     

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