Checks, Socks, and Souls

Do you believe in soul mates?

My married best friends do. They believe they were created for each other, prepared for each other, and brought together on purpose - that no one else in the world would be right for them.

Another good friend of mine doesn’t. He believes any number of people could be “the one” - that God cares more that we’re serving Him and working to advance His kingdom than whom exactly we marry.

I’ve been grappling with this question for a few months now. At a time in my life when disappointment and discouragement sit perched on my shoulders like snickering cohorts about the topic of romance (now there’s an image), I’ve written several drafts of this post in the past month and most of the time, I end up with the defeated conclusion of I don’t know.

But that’s not quite true.

I don’t believe in soul mates...I believe in God.

I believe that God does have a will, a plan, for each of our lives, based on how He created us and how He wants us to use the gifts and passions He’s given us to serve Him best. I believe when we commit our lives to serving Him, that plan rolls into action like a divine juggernaut.

I believe He does care who we marry, because He planned it all out from the start. He knew everything we would do and when we would do it and what would happen as a result. Not so our lives will all be fairy tales and we’ll have someone to “complete” us - hello, our Savior already does that! - but because He created us. He knows us. And He knows what - and who - is best for us to, in turn, best glorify Him.

For myself, I don’t have the faintest idea who that person is. All God says about it to me lately is, “Trust Me.”

But I know He knows, and I believe what He says. He does not lie and He keeps His promises. Now, in His time, He has to break the news to that poor, unsuspecting gentleman - whoever he is.

I just hope he likes short redheads.