Fairytale, Chapter 4: Boy Meets God

If you're late to the party, check out the previous chapters: (1) (2) (3).

This is when Garrett and I became best friends forever. We were both going through the same exact thing: having a crush on a girl who only wanted to be friends. I think it would be easier for a girl to say, "I don't ever want to see your face again." At least then you don't have to hang out and try to be her friend when you really want to date her.

Anyway, as Garrett and I worked through the shambles of our broken hearts, his faith began to interest me. I became very curious about his life and this God that he served. The trials we were going through were tough, but it was like he had something bigger to carry his burdens. The more we hung out, the more he shared with me about his faith and the God he loved. And listening to his band's music was also starting to pull at my innards. I began to pray. I really didn't have a clue who I was praying to, but I simply asked God to take away the pain of my hurting heart. If He wasn't going to let Kelsey and I be together, I prayed for Him to free me from wanting her so badly.

Kelsey: This is the part where I start to get choked up...

A couple weeks later, God had worked in me and answered my prayers. I decided (with a nudge from God) that I would strive to be Kelsey's best friend, and if that is all it ever was, then that would have to be good enough. Finals week had come and gone, and we were heading home for the summer. Kelsey to Okoboji, and me to my hometown (about two hours apart).

Kelsey: Eric told me that he prayed about our relationship and that God told him to just wait. I thought it was so horrible that God would lead Eric on like that! I still had no intention of dating him. I obviously liked him as a friend, but I was kind of appalled by the idea of dating him, actually. However, around this same time I was confronted by a couple of Eric's close high school friends and my eyes were opened to how much I was hurting Eric. They encouraged me to either date him or stop being so flirtatious around him. I agreed and really wanted to try to be a better friend to him. (Eric says he didn't know this conversation took place, till now.)

I was pretty excited that I would be able to spend a lot of time with Garrett during the summer, and God was still working on my heart. I went to work for my uncle's construction company. He has a very strong faith in Jesus, and we always listened to Christian talk radio while we worked. This was somewhat awkward for me at the time. One day on the radio, they were talking about being saved (great segue for my uncle). He asked me if I wanted to be saved. At this point I was ready to change my life. Apparently me living only for me was not working out, and I really felt ready to start learning more about this Jesus character. So he prayed with me, and I have believed in Jesus ever since.

I told Garrett the decision I had made. And I emailed Kelsey and told her, too. My uncle encouraged me to make sure to tell my friends so they could provide support. He was right. I felt so alive and reborn. I had been trying so hard for so long to ignore God, and all He wanted from me was to come running to His arms. I knew that it would be hard for some of my friends to understand the different choices I would make, but when I realized I have a Savior in Jesus and that He died for my sins on a cross so that I may be free, I suddenly didn't want to live the broken life that I had in the past (so, there is my faith story mixed in with our fairytale, but it needed to be shared).

Kelsey: I still have the email that Eric sent me after he was saved. I remember getting it, and where I was when I read it. I was so happy for him!

More to come next Friday...by the way, we are having so much fun with this series, we decided to keep it going. We have at least 15 chapters in mind, and it might be more by the time it's all said and done. I hope you like us enough to keep coming back.