Friday, June 24, 2011

Guest Blog by my Friend, Kathryn Page Camp

It's June, the official month of marriage! Awhile back I read Kathryn's post on her blog about meeting and marrying her husband. I thought it would be a great article for the month of June and give you a chance to meet Kathryn, if you don't already know her.

Kathryn's blog address so you check out all her great posts:
http://kathrynpagecamp.blogspot.com/

Now for her post. Enjoy:

Searching for Mr. Right

Roland and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary on Thursday. Actually, we celebrated apart, because I was at a writers' conference in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. But our marriage survived the ill-timed separation.

A marriage that almost didn't happen. Although I wanted a husband, I wasn't actively seeking. Part of it was that I didn't know how or where to look. But I also trusted that God would make it happen when the time was right even if I did nothing.

A simple sermon eliminated both excuses.

Have you heard the saying, "God helps them that help themselves"? If you think it comes from the Bible, you're wrong. The proverb dates back to only the 15th or 16th century. But even though it isn't in the Bible, there is some Christian truth in it. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8, Paul says: "If a man will not work, he shall not eat." And how many of us think God wants us to sit back and wait for a job without even sending out resumes?

Still, I would rephrase the proverb this way: God wants us to be active participants in His plans for us.

That was the message in the sermon, and the minister used finding a mate as an example. He was a counselor for a computer dating service that catered to Christians and Jews, but many people failed to make use of the service because they expected God to handle everything.

That sermon was my wake-up call. I signed up for the computer dating service and met Roland. He was my second match, and I was his second match. But there is nothing second-class about our marriage.

Thirty-two years of wedded bliss (and a few bumps) that almost didn't happen.

So if you are searching for Mr. or Ms. Right, don't just sit back and wait. Be an active participant in God's plans for you.

Even if His plans turn out to be different from yours.


Thank you, Kathryn!
Blessings!

4 comments:

Faith said...

Great advice.

Dora Hiers said...

How inspiring! What a sweet love story. Thanks for sharing, Kathryn, and congrats on 32 years!

Kathryn Page Camp said...

Thanks, Faye and Dora for your comments. And thanks, Caroline, for sharing my blog post. It's wonderful what God can do if we let him.

Linda Glaz said...

32 years! Congrats!

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