Elizabeth + Tim | Across the miles: my plan's God's gifts By Elizabeth

I tend to live a lot of life in my head. Naturally, this means that in any given moment I’m analyzing, planning, calculating things out far in advance of the present moment. This has been a gift in my current season of housekeeping and mothering. “If we’re going here, we need to bring…” “If I take this route, I can stop…” “When they come by, I will…” However, in matters less practical, such as how God chose to bring Tim and I together, extrapolating profits little except to give God expectations that He will often abundantly surpass!

It was a humid day in Florida when Tim and I first crossed paths. My dear friend, Anna, had just received her Bachelor’s and I found myself joining with her family for celebratory photos and congratulations following commencement. For only a few moments, Anna’s older brother, Tim, and I were standing together. It was a seemingly unremarkable moment in time, surely not noted by any observer. Yet, I walked away impressed by his character and how he carried himself. Fast forward two years to yet another humid Florida day. My dear friend, Anna, would soon walk the aisle to marry her beloved. Tim and I, again, found ourselves together on the outskirts of a celebration! And this time, more than engage in a few moments of conversation, we would remain in contact for years to follow. 

Tim’s locations were dictated by orders of the U.S. Navy and I was trying to live a life open to God’s leading. This meant that while he was completing residency in Washington, I was living in North Carolina. He then received orders to a pinpoint on the globe, the island of Guam and I spent several months in New England. During this time, God nudged Tim to begin moving our friendship into a more definite state. I returned to living with family in East Tennessee and it was across the miles from there to Guam that a relationship of love, trust, and communication took form through letters and FaceTime. During his visits to the States, Tim and I created memories and learned to laugh - alot - together. In little over a year, we began dating, got engaged, and were married in East Tennessee on October 21, 2018. 

My own analyzing, planning, and calculating could never have placed Tim and I together, in Guam, enjoying newlywed years - and now with a precious daughter, too! Yet, God. He answers beyond what our meager thoughts can conjure and His way is best. “It may not be quickly or clearly or evident now to our sight, but in hidden riches of wisdom, He fashions His gifts with delight. If only you knew what great blessings He forms in the clouds up above to pour down on us in good season and lavish on us in His love!”