Each week, I have been sharing a little bit of my testimony. If you missed the first installments, be sure to read them HERE.

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I first laid eyes on Jon in the line at the store waiting for my roommate (who happened to be of legal drinking age) to finish her purchases. It was my 20th birthday and I was having a party. Her boyfriend had decided he would invite Jon to my party and I would finally get to meet him.

The second I saw him, with those cute dimples and the big ears (I have a thing for men with big ears) my heart stopped. I knew right then. He was it. He was The One.

I will spare you the details of the first few weeks. Nothing out of the ordinary, nothing unusual; just the usual college “dating.”

One month later, Jon was there when I needed him most. My father was trying to regain control over my life from afar and when he couldn’t, he decided that I was going to be disowned and was no longer a part of the family. Disowning me was his way of issuing control. Jon took my late night phone calls. He talked to me, he comforted me, he let me lean on him in my lowest moments. He did what a lot of other “men” his age would never do. He showed maturity. He showed kindness. He showed heart.

I never looked back after that. He was definitely “The One for me.”

We spent the first year of our relationship long distance. We lived about 3 hours away from each other. If a couple can make it through that, they should be able to make it through anything, right?

Because of my past, I had some serious issues to work through in my life. Issues surrounding myself, my thoughts and beliefs about men; issues that would take me a long time to work through.

I had issues with trusting other people and letting my walls down for them. I had difficulty communicating my problems and my feelings. I kept many things just bottled up inside me until I finally broke. I thank God that Jon was there to save me from the many times I tried to take my own life. My hurt and brokenness and depression ran so deep, my self-worth was so little, that I believed the world would be a better place without me.

Jon is such a strong man. The things that he supported me through and what he stuck around for still amazes me. Many men would not have hung around and dealt with all the things I put him through. Many men would have given up on me and walked away; just as all the other men in my life had done.

God had other plans.

God knew I needed an earthly angel. He knew that he had to find someone who was strong and sturdy and had big enough shoulders to be able to hold up under everything I threw at him.

We got married a short 2.5 years later.