Soon they came to realize that time was not on their side, and they chose to simply be best friends. This was a good arrangement for them, because it meant that they could spend lots of time together, doing all sorts of fun things, without the pressure of the relationship needing to be more than what it was...and they still managed to share a kiss or two when no one was looking. As time went on, so did their lives, and they both entered into other relationships. Their time together became less and less frequent, until they didn't see each other at all.
One day, while the princess was involved in a horrible relationship, she got an invitation to a wedding set for the month before her thirtieth birthday: the wedding of her prince from years before. She was happy that her prince seemed to have found true love, but was sad that she was still searching for it in her own life. She couldn't stand the thought of her current man accompanying her to the wedding of someone she used to love, so she took her closest girlfriend. It was a long, but beautiful ceremony, and the princess unexpectedly found herself on the verge of tears when her prince winked at her from the altar...she suddenly realized that she still loved him! After the wedding, she approached her prince to congratulate him on his new life. When she hugged him, she whispered in his ear that although she was happy for him, he was the one that got away. And that was the last time she saw him.
The first few months following the wedding was a time of deep depression for the princess, because she knew her chance for true love had slipped through her fingers. What she didn't realize at the time was that her own blindness had contributed to her prince getting away, and each time she had ever told him, "You don't understand," he actually did understand, and it was she who didn't understand her own actions. And because the prince seemed to have vanished completely from her world, the princess spent the next twelve years searching for him, hunting high and low for her lost prince, with no hope of ever finding him.
During those twelve years, the princess went about her life, going through drastic, life-altering changes, and eventually finding true love in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In Christ, the princess was able to learn about the mistakes she'd made in the past, why she made them, and how to keep from making them again. She had a new lease on life, but was still longing for an earthly mate. The relationship she was in when her prince got married had ended two years after the wedding, and she had only dated one other man since then: a strange situation that lasted just three months, but turned into an additional year of mere physical relations. When Jesus entered her life, she was thirty-five and had spent the previous ten months giving herself to any man who would have her. Jesus helped her step away from her own lack of self-respect, and she happily took a vow of celibacy until her wedding night...whenever that would be.
As time went on and the princess remained without an earthly love, she was plagued by periods of loneliness. But even though she encountered these feelings of longing and sadness, she knew that God had someone picked out just for her...the love of her life, her soulmate, The One. She often wondered if this man would be someone brand new that she would have to get to know from scratch, or if he would be someone with whom she was already acquainted, someone with whom she already had built a foundation of friendship. All she knew was that as long as she remained obedient to God, she would not be led astray. And the month before the princess turned forty-two, a happy surprise changed her life yet again: whilst browsing Facebook, she unexpectedly happened upon the name of her beloved prince!! She was beyond ecstatic that all her years of searching were finally at an end!! She wrote to him, and they immediately had a phone conversation. When she told him all that had been on her heart for the last twelve years, how her life had changed, and that she always saw him as the one that got away, he told her that he had been searching for her as well...searching in vain. The princess was stunned and excited to hear that her prince hadn't forgotten about her, and had actually been trying to find her at the exact same time she was trying to find him!!
In the midst of this happy reunion, the prince shared the sad news that his wife had been unfaithful and they had separated twice. He had stuck by her, hoping to make things work, but it was far from the storybook marriage he'd always hoped for...and aside from having two amazing children that he loved with all his being, he was quite unhappy. The princess was sad for his situation, because she'd always said that cheating is grounds for immediate dismissal, and she knew firsthand how much it hurt to have that happen and to be lied to about it.
The prince wanted to stay in contact with the princess, and she was thrilled to say yes. They caught up on each other's lives over the next few weeks, and he even invited her to go to a concert with him. They desperately wanted to see each other, but the princess soon realized that this might not be the best thing for her, considering her past mistakes. Reluctantly, she told him the truth about why she shouldn't see him, and that while she was mostly the same person he'd always known, certain values in her had changed. He completely understood about her new-found "non-negotiables," but he still wanted to see her, perhaps for her birthday. But as her birthday approached, the princess found herself thinking and feeling things about her prince that she hadn't thought or felt in many years...things that could get her into a lot of trouble if she didn't keep herself in check. Again, she had to be truthful, but this time it was more drastic. She told him that she was afraid of falling in love with him again, and due to the fact that he was still married, it would be best if they didn't speak for a time so that she could get her feelings under control. Again he understood, but at least they now knew how to get in touch once the princess was more able to handle being in contact with him.
The princess was soon able to allow thoughts of her prince to drift from her mind and heart, and her life took another amazing turn: doors finally opened for her to realize a dream that God had placed on her heart two years before, a dream to leave her native Southern California and live in the gloriously green Pacific Northwest. And so she went, a month and a half after her forty-second birthday, leaving behind her family, friends, and church...as well as the prince she'd spent twelve years searching for ~ the prince she had always referred to as "the one that got away."
Almost two months went by, and the princess had all but forgotten her prince...until one night when she received a message from him saying that he wanted to know how she was, but that he also needed a shoulder to cry on. She automatically guessed that his marriage was in trouble again. They talked the following evening, and she told him all about her new life in a Northern town. He told her that he'd always wanted to live in that same part of the country, but his marriage had killed that dream. He also told her that he was sad that she hadn't allowed him to say good-bye to her before she left, but she explained that she simply hadn't had time to see everyone before embarking on her journey. Then she asked about his life...and that's when he dropped the bombshell. The princess was in utter shock as the prince told her that his wife of twelve years had served him with divorce papers, and was set to move out of their home just one week from then, taking their young children with her. Again, the princess was sad for his situation, even more deeply now, and offered her friendship to him during his time of need.
During that same phone call, the prince dropped another bombshell on his princess: he told her that he'd thought long and hard about their last two conversations, and that he hadn't been able to forget about her. He asked if they could possibly stay in contact on a more frequent basis, now that she had taken time away from him. She agreed, telling him that she had indeed gotten her feelings under control, and that this would have to be a time of getting to know each other all over again, because people tend to change over the course of twelve years...she due to new life in Christ, and he due to a difficult marriage. He said that he was perfectly happy with that...and she was as well. But just to be on the safe side, the princess decided to ask a few certain close friends for prayer and wise counsel...and she herself went into deep prayer to her Lord, not only for the situation in general, but also for her prince's salvation.
Over the course of the following month, the prince and princess spent time on the phone with increasing frequency and duration, talking about absolutely everything, especially the deep faith of the princess. She had to be sure that her prince completely understood why her values had shifted, and that she would not allow certain boundaries in her life to be crossed, even for him. He did understand, and they both had the feeling that God was behind their reunion. One night, they had a call that lasted three hours. During that call, the prince came clean about his feelings for his princess, telling her that she was his best friend and soulmate, that he loved her and always had...and he then apologized for ever hurting her, inadvertently or otherwise. The princess was nearly in tears at these heartfelt declarations, because it had been many, many years since she last heard such sweet, adoring words.
During that same call, the prince told his princess that he wanted to fly up to see her. At first, she was thrilled at the thought of seeing her prince after more than twelve years! But toward the end of the call, she felt the Holy Spirit come over her and tell her that it wasn't a good idea, that it was way too soon. The princess chose obedience over her own human desires, and told the prince of her sudden apprehension. While he was honest about his disappointment, he completely understood why it had to be this way...and his deliberate lack of force of his own will upon her began to spark her old fire for him. She always remembered him as a man of integrity, and his willingness to go at her pace was reassurance that he hadn't changed in that area...and she was glad of it. In fact, her deep faith in Christ had intrigued him to the point where he decided to go to a church service one Sunday morning! The princess was elated at this news, and began to pray harder for her prince's salvation.
The phone calls remained a steady average of three hours in length, but their intensity began to grow, to the point where the prince began speaking in terms of forever...and one day, the princess realized that she could no longer deny what was in her heart: she had fallen back in love with her prince! They wanted the whole world to know that they had finally been brought together after so many years of wishing it could be reality, so they simultaneously changed their Facebook profiles to reflect their new relationship. But the next morning brought feelings of anxiety to the princess: she was suddenly unsure that their decision to go public was a good one, since the prince still hadn't been saved, and she needed a partner who was on the same page as far as her faith.
The month before, the princess had emailed her prince a video of a sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll on Christian dating. The prince hadn't yet watched it, so the princess sent him a text, telling him how she was feeling, and asking him to PLEASE watch the video that day. He replied that he would. On her lunch break at work that same day, the princess sent her prince another text, telling him that she was feeling much better, and that her earlier feelings of anxiety could have been a spiritual attack. He texted back, saying that he was glad that she was feeling better, and that he had some good news to share with her. He asked if she could talk, so she called him...and another bombshell was dropped: after he watched the Driscoll sermon, the prince was brought to his knees in total submission, and he immediately gave his life to Christ!! The princess was in tears at this absolutely incredible answer to prayer, because she now knew for sure that God was orchestrating every detail of the situation...and it was a true miracle in her eyes, because she knew that she was finally going about it the right way, and not making the same mistakes she'd made in the past!!
The princess also knows it's right this time because of how completely different it feels from all the others, how absolutely content she is...like a purring kitten in front of a cozy fire on a snowy Winter's night. She marvels every single day at the blessings that God is showering upon her, and she was excited that her prince had given her an early Christmas gift of a roundtrip flight to see him in late December!! She would be seeing her family and friends as well, but seeing her prince for the first time in almost thirteen years was at the forefront of her mind and heart, and his as well...until he surprised her yet again at the beginning of September by telling her that he’d booked a trip to see her on September eighteenth!! This came about after she told him that she missed him so deeply that she wasn’t sure she’d be able to wait until Christmas to see him. It was an amazing reunion, with the connection and spark from twenty~four years prior still intact, if not stronger!! And he completely honored her boundaries during his entire five~day visit.
It was so difficult to say good~bye that the prince told the princess a couple weeks later that he wanted to see her yet again toward the end of October...but this time he'd be DRIVING the thousand miles to see her!! He arrived on Halloween, again honoring her boundaries one hundred percent by staying at a hotel, and the next day, November first, the two of them went to Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood to play in the snow. Whilst taking a break from hiking, the prince got down on one knee in the pure white snow, pulled out of his pocket a beautiful white gold and green amethyst Claddagh ring, and in the presence of God, asked his princess if she would do him the honor of marrying him!!!!! It was the perfect setting, and without any hesitation, she said YES!!!! Then he told her that he had gone to her parents to properly ask for her hand...of course, THEY said yes!! The rest of the prince's two~week visit was a blur, the princess walking on air the entire time from her complete excitement of her prince's proposal: she would be spending the rest of her life with "the one that got away"!!! They began to discuss a wedding date, and God put her birthday, March seventeenth, St. Patrick's Day, on their hearts. And because 2012 is a Leap Year, that date falls on a Saturday...again, God's perfect timing. The princess' Christmas visit to SoCal was short, but sweet...and saying good~bye was even more difficult for the prince and princess because they knew that they wouldn't be seeing each other again until two days before their wedding.
God struck again with His perfect timing in the form of Mark and Grace Driscoll's latest book, "Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, & Life Together." The book was published on January third, 2012, and January fifteenth saw the beginning of the sermon series at Mars Hill!! Coinciding with that was premarital counseling via Skype, with the princess in Washington, and the prince in SoCal!!
It's been a long haul, but each day brings them closer to the rest of their lives, and much of every phone conversation between visits is about how they can't wait for him to make his transition from the brown Southern California desert northward to the beautiful Evergreen State after their Honeymoon at the end of March, 2012. They are both thankful beyond imagination that God has brought them back into each other's lives after so many years to be together the way they were always meant to be. The prince's own words possibly express it best:
It was so difficult to say good~bye that the prince told the princess a couple weeks later that he wanted to see her yet again toward the end of October...but this time he'd be DRIVING the thousand miles to see her!! He arrived on Halloween, again honoring her boundaries one hundred percent by staying at a hotel, and the next day, November first, the two of them went to Timberline Lodge at Mount Hood to play in the snow. Whilst taking a break from hiking, the prince got down on one knee in the pure white snow, pulled out of his pocket a beautiful white gold and green amethyst Claddagh ring, and in the presence of God, asked his princess if she would do him the honor of marrying him!!!!! It was the perfect setting, and without any hesitation, she said YES!!!! Then he told her that he had gone to her parents to properly ask for her hand...of course, THEY said yes!! The rest of the prince's two~week visit was a blur, the princess walking on air the entire time from her complete excitement of her prince's proposal: she would be spending the rest of her life with "the one that got away"!!! They began to discuss a wedding date, and God put her birthday, March seventeenth, St. Patrick's Day, on their hearts. And because 2012 is a Leap Year, that date falls on a Saturday...again, God's perfect timing. The princess' Christmas visit to SoCal was short, but sweet...and saying good~bye was even more difficult for the prince and princess because they knew that they wouldn't be seeing each other again until two days before their wedding.
God struck again with His perfect timing in the form of Mark and Grace Driscoll's latest book, "Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, & Life Together." The book was published on January third, 2012, and January fifteenth saw the beginning of the sermon series at Mars Hill!! Coinciding with that was premarital counseling via Skype, with the princess in Washington, and the prince in SoCal!!
It's been a long haul, but each day brings them closer to the rest of their lives, and much of every phone conversation between visits is about how they can't wait for him to make his transition from the brown Southern California desert northward to the beautiful Evergreen State after their Honeymoon at the end of March, 2012. They are both thankful beyond imagination that God has brought them back into each other's lives after so many years to be together the way they were always meant to be. The prince's own words possibly express it best:
"To know that God is giving me such a wonderful gift...The true love of my best friend and soulmate, not to mention the most wonderful woman I've ever known is humbling beyond belief. I feel so honored that you have trusted me with your love. I will always hold it sacred, as I should, knowing that this is a gift from you and God. I love you so much. No amount of "pretty words" can do what I'm feeling justice."
And that is just one way of saying that "the one that got away" from the princess, didn't...thanks to God's ultimate plan for their lives!! The prince and princess know beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are completely meant for each other, and always have been. They also know that because Jesus is at the core of their relationship, their story, a story that could have only been written by Jesus Himself, is one that will play out "happily ever after"...and so it begins!!
