All in the timing

Be patient. Good things will happen, all in God's time.

I posted this status on Facebook today, and a lot of people liked it. I actually posted it as a "note to self" kind of thing, trying to stay positive in the face of everything happening now, so I'm glad that it has also touched people somehow.

I really do believe that it's all in the timing. When I think of this, one thing always comes to mind: the way my life's love story has played out. I sometimes find myself thinking, "Why didn't I meet you sooner?" and I realize that we were meant to be together now-- not in high school, not in college, but now.

After all, when I look back at who I was in high school, I don't think he would've been able to stand the petty, unreasonably jealous, overly-dramatic Me. The one that liked fighting over the phone and slamming it down with so much passion, only to call him back to say, "Why aren't you calling me back??" The one that blew things out of proportion and just turned everything into a big deal-- everything except the things that really mattered. So no, we would not have lasted then.

It would not have worked out in college either, when I found myself defined by a relationship and didn't think of establishing my own identity outside of it. The short-sighted, naive Me that supported dreams and ambitions that didn't really include me, yet still believed that this love was forever. The one that said yes to everything and adjusted to everything, just to avoid the drama.

The right love entered my life at exactly the right time: when I had learned the lessons I needed to learn, when I had an idea of who I was outside of a relationship, when I knew just how I wanted a relationship to be. It came at the point when I realized that relationships are not perfect-- he's not perfect, and neither am I. That it takes a lot of work to stay together, and we have to be willing to make the effort to appreciate each other and always be grateful for one another. That there is a way to fight with each other that is fair and not hurtful, that makes you a better person when all the tears have dried. That love isn't just all the warm, fuzzy feelings inside, but takes root in deeper things like trust, respect, and friendship.

Any younger, I would not have learned those lessons yet. Any older, we might have missed each other and grown in opposite directions. We got together at a time where we had gone through experiences that made us who we are, yet we were still young enough to do a lot of growing up together, constantly evolving into better versions of ourselves.

When I look at us and see what a good thing we have going, I know that God brought us together. And if I only hold on and have faith, more good things will enter my life and bless me in a similar way.