Yesterday, I received a video clip.

Now, to be honest with you, that’s not really anything new.  I freelance for a living and juggle about 5 email accounts and so all day someone is sending me something.  I will say this, however:  My pet peeve are forwards and chain letters (do you know how many times I have sent something to five people and got nothing even remotely close to what I wished for?!?)

Oh, but yesterday.  No, yesterday was a totally different experience.

A girlfriend of mine (shout out to Tracey) sent me a forward and yes, I do hate getting those, but because it was out of character for her, I decided to check it out.  When you see what I saw, you’ll be glad that she sent it and that I didn’t let my initial prejudice stand in the way (a pretty powerful message within itself).

A man named Rob did a slide show for his (now) fiance’, Keisha.  Yes, I know that somewhere someone is getting engaged everyday on this earth…but I am confident when I say “not quite like this”.  Here is what his friend, Mary said in her introduction to the link(which will already bless you, trust me):

My friend Rob just got engaged a couple of months ago.  He told me that God was unfolding a vision in his life over the span of about a year and then he put faith to feet and made it happen.  He sent me over the slide show today and after I watched it I sat here almost in tears.  Just to give you a brief synopsis of what went on (And yes I did get Rob and Keisha’s permission to share this great story with all of you)…Rob and Keisha dated for about 4 years.  And he knew that she was the one…but he had to save up for all that God had prompted him to do for her.  So in short what you are about to see happen on April 28th….he rented out 10 rooms in the Ritz Carlton in Buckhead and invited about 50-60 people to be there for this special night…Keisha had to go from room to room and in each room were people who were special to them….his boys…her girls…her Bible Study group….his parents…her parents..etc.  and everybody in each room had questions that she had to answer to be able to move to the next room and before she left each room the people there would pray over her….so you have to watch each room to see how that goes…he chose roses because Keisha’s aunt who passed suddenly loved roses and he bought some of the dipped in gold because of the stories in the Bible about Solomon and how everything was dipped in gold and the song that you hear playing in the background was the same song that was played at Keisha’s aunt’s funeral, she was like a second mom to Keisha.

I sent this to each of you not to brag on Rob, or to make anyone sad about being single, or to make anyone that is married or engaged mad at their husband or fiancé’ because they didn’t do more…but to motivate, encourage, and remind each of you of God’s love and of the rewards that come as a result of being faithful and to those of us that are single to show you what HE and HE alone can do if we WAIT ON HIM!  Every proposal will not be as elaborate as this one but one that is offered with the Father’s permission will be just as special.

When I asked Rob what he was thinking and how it felt…he said that he was kicking and screaming all the way.  Not because he did not love Keisha and want to marry her….but because of the time, money, and stress that was spent doing this.  Rob, put his house up for rent and saved for her ring and this night and he did it out of obedience…So to my single lady/men friends and myself I say WAIT and continue to pray, to my married and engaged friends that God for the grace and mercy that he has shown you in the gift of that man/woman that he has given to you and to those of you that bash men/women and really don’t believe in love anymore…I know what it feels like but let this remind you that great and perfect (for you) are the gifts that come from HIM.  And I do know that everything that glitters is not gold, but I know them both personally and their love and respect for each other is real and from GOD….I love yall…be encouraged!  I know I am!

OK, I know you must be thinking, “On to the link already!” because she definitely preached all that really needs to be said.  But, let me share just one more tidbit before we get to the grand finale.

I am still getting responses from forwarding that along to my devotional group, but there was something that a male friend of mine in particular said that I think should be also shared with the ladies (thanks Duawne!);

“This doesn’t just speak to how good a man Rob is but also to the type of woman Keisha must be.  A man can love a woman all day long but he’ll never express it in such a way unless he sees God in her. I’m sure Keisha helps him to see the nature of God.”

Preach, my brutha!  You are right in line with what the Word tells us.

Proverbs 31:10 (NKJV) says:

“Who can find a virtuous (conforming to moral and ethical principles; pure) wife? For her worth is far above rubies.”

“A good woman is hard to find, and worth far more than diamonds.” (Message)

“A capable, intelligent, and virtuous woman–who is he who can find her? She is far more precious than jewels and her value is far above rubies or pearls.” (AMP)

Ladies, we all are looking for love.  We may not all desire to be married (which means if you are a Christian you have come to the resolve to not be sexually active, right?  Wow, I’M IMPRESSED!!!), but loving relationships are manifested in all sorts of ways and no matter what, it is called be to be godly: patient, kind, not jealous, selfish or rude, celebrating truth and not the lies and high on endurance (I Corinthians 13).

However, in the case of romantic relationships, what I love about what Duawne, a married man, said about love is that when a man pulls out all stops like Rob did, it’s not so much who Keisha is, but the God that’s radiating from the inside of her that drew him to be so outlandish in his expression of his love for her because, after all, how can you reach the pinnacle of expression of your love for God?!?

It’s when we compromise ourselves that flesh gets in the way from receiving this kind of assurance…not just from engaging in illicit sex, but the consequences that come with letting your flesh supercede your spirit at any time and in any way.  If we as wives or potential wives are called to bring favor (excessive kindness or unfair partiality; preferential treatment) to the purpose of man (Proverbs 18:22), we have to put their minds and hearts at ease by making them feel that they can trust us.  If the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), we can’t do anything that will cause their souls to suffer.

That’s why the use of the term “making love” in a non-married setting is always humorous (in the ironic, not “ha ha” way) to me because it is so not that.  If God says that the lifestyle consequences of fornication and adultery are the loss of life (Galatians 5:19, Ephesians 5:3, Colossians 3:5), then when you lay down with your boyfriend OR fiance’, you are not making love to him; what you are actually doing is making sin, which means you are making DEATH.

Tell me what comfort any man can get out of that?  What favor can he find?  What reason does he have to trust you enough to make you a part of his human trinity (mind, body and spirit)?  And I’m here to tell you that as a daughter of God, you deserve the whole package; not the 1 out of 3 deal!

OK, I’m done preaching for now.  Look at the clip and then think about what you desire and what God says about it:

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us…”—Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV)

It’s your obedience that activates the power chord that links you to God making it possible for him to move in ways that top even your greatest fantasies.  Don’t believe me?  Just ask Ms. Keisha. 🙂