"I Want You To Be My Wife"

We shared a side order of okra during lunch at Tupelo Honey, a restaurant that has now become one of my favorites.  We toured the Biltmore house that afternoon with all its richly decorated rooms, Downton Abbey special exhibits and magnificent tulip gardens covering the grounds.  We saw people everywhere at every turn, from the teenagers working the photo stand to a bridal party arriving in front of the Biltmore Estate that day.  Though I was thankful for the thoughtful birthday gift of tickets to tour the house and gardens, I was also glad when Jeremy suggested cruising the Parkway and catching the sunset before a late dinner.

After getting lost in downtown Asheville thanks to my poor navigational skills, we ended up on some back roads and eventually made it to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  It was an absolutely beautiful day.  Perfect weather.  High 60s, gentle breeze, and sunshine everywhere you looked.  We found a trail along the way with a short hike and a gorgeous view – mountains, trees, a lake and golf course down below.  The sun was slowly beginning to set and there was absolutely no one else around but us.

We walked around a bit, took a few pictures, admired the view and stood side by side, arms around each other’s waists, on the edge of the mountain.  As we looked out at the beauty of the sunset, Jeremy started, “You’re so thoughtful.  You’re so kind.  You’re godly.”  He has told me these things before.  Qualities he sees in me, attributes he appreciates.  With words of affirmation as my top love language, I always receive these words with gratefulness in my heart.  He continued, “You’re beautiful.”  I haven’t always felt beautiful, sometimes very far from it, but when he says it I believe him.  “You are my best friend.  And I want you to be my wife.”  Such a smooth transition that I looked over in surprise.  We had been gazing out at God’s great earth, and now he just said “wife!”  Now he’s on his knee smiling up at me with one of the most gorgeous, sparkly, stunning rings I’ve ever laid eyes on.  (Later I asked him if he had in fact asked, “Will you marry me?” because I was so distracted by his suave transition that I zoned out for a second.  He smiled, “I did.  And you said, ‘Yes’.”)

Even though I thought my ring size was a 7, he had a ring slightly smaller than that and it fit on my finger perfectly.  We stood there for a bit with silly grins on our faces, marveling at what just happened, then Jeremy gently reminded me, “Well, we said we were gonna kiss when we got engaged…” (More smiles and a shared kiss or two).  We sat down to watch the sun continue to set, it’s almost gone now.  As if the day hadn’t been perfect enough, Jeremy comes through again, “I want to get this thing started off right.  I want us to pray together.”  Up until this point, I think I was a little teary-eyed (or perhaps the combination of bling and sunshine was too much for my eyes), but this is when the mascara was washed off and the tissues came out.  My new fiancé led us in the sweetest, most genuine prayer I have ever heard.  He didn’t start out by thanking God for his beautiful wife-to-be, but rather he thanked the Father for who He was.  He gave glory to Jesus as our Lord and Savior and first gave Him the honor and praise.  After that he prayed for our relationship, thanking God for this crazy love story that we are living.

If you had asked me months or even years ago what kind of engagement story I was hoping for or what ring I had my heart set on, I wouldn’t have had an answer.  I’m grateful that Jeremy did an amazing job planning a thoughtful proposal and selecting a special ring, but what my heart desired most was a man that would pray with me and for me.  I didn’t have to ask him to pray.  He had the same desire because we both have the Holy Spirit living in us and guiding us toward lives that seek to honor God.

 After we finished praying, and I finished crying off all my makeup, a man and his daughter showed up with their cameras ready for the sunset.  We asked him to take our picture as we told him we were newly engaged.  He was willing and excited to be a part of our moment.  Jeremy even went along with my request to get back down on his knee so I could have a picture to remember the day!  He’s so good to me!

The ride home was full of Dave Barnes songs, texting pictures to friends, calling family and holding the hand of my fiancé.  It was pretty fantastic.  Also, since I had been waiting for a bathroom since we left the Biltmore, it was a fast drive to find civilization.  Once again the Lord smiled upon us as we found a Krispy Kreme, complete with clean bathrooms and a lit up “Hot Now” sign.  Isn’t it great how He cares about every detail of our lives, from boyfriends (or fiancés!) to bathrooms? 

I don’t think I can finish a post about our engagement on that note, so I’ll say this.  The Lord is good.  He is faithful.  He cares for His children and takes care of His own.  He wants our best for us more than we want it for ourselves.  When I look back over my relationship with Jeremy, I see God’s fingerprints all over it.  I share this story so that God may be glorified for all He has done.  He is worthy of our praise.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17