God brought us together...

There is one very important topic I have avoided to write about, but as you might have guessed by now, I will write about it today.

The thing is, I am engaged!

I hope you will continue to read this update, because there is much more to say about this of course. This story is about God, who radically changed two persons and brought them together. One of those persons is me, the other is my fiancée, Ann-Cathrine (AC). I want to tell you a small bit of our story, because it is a great testimony about God. So I hope it will inspire you and will be an example to follow, for those of you who are not yet married.

A flying start

AC and me had met each other before, but something new started when she came to Denmark in the end of August. In the preceding week I started to wonder what I actually thought of her. This was after we had a training weekend with The Last Reformation in her hometown in Norway.
From the first second I saw her in Denmark I was deeply impressed by her. The same night I gave it all to God and told him I longed to hear his voice again. The next day a friend came to me and shared a picture he had for me:

''I saw you looking at your wife. While doing that you had a big smile on your face and tears in your eyes. You saw the love of God in her and through her and you were worshipping God for who he is.''

Next to this picture he told me almost exactly the same things which I had prayed to God the night before. It was so clear for me, only God could know these things. I didn't take this as a confirmation about AC, but as a confirmation that God will give me the wife he had destined for me, as he said:

''If you just focus on me, I will make everything completely clear.''

A softened heart

One week later, while we were both on a short walk, we accidentally met. From that moment on we started to have more and more serious conversations. In the following weeks I noticed that God was working in my heart. I came from a view on love that was totally messed up by things that happened in the past. Actually I had lost belief in love and in my capability to love someone. As a result of broken love around me and the mistakes I had made myself. But now I saw good examples of love and relationships around me. For the first time in my life there was no fear, no worries, no doubts, nothing of that at all. There was no confusion in my thoughts. In these days I cried a lot while talking to God, deep things were happening.

''God, it is almost confusing that there is no confusion at all!''

Normally I could almost hold on to my fears, because they would always be present in moments like this. Now I had only one thing to hold on to... God's promise, he will make it clear.

On our way to The Netherlands

Commitment?

Halfway September I put my cards on the table. I told AC that I really liked her and that I wanted to get to know her better. We were on the same page in this matter, so we started to actively get to know each other and to seek God about it.

One evening, in the end of September, I went to a football field to pray about AC. It didn't take long for me to be in tears. I saw so clear what God had done already. I couldn't help myself but to praise him, glorify him and thank him. I was really happy and deeply touched. The next day I suddenly realized that this prayer time was extremely similar to the picture given to me. I was looking at 'my wife' (praying about AC), had tears in my eyes, a big smile on my face and I was praising God! That morning I started to think about asking her to be my girlfriend, but something happened that turned my view on relationships upside down...

There was a teaching about relationships which went straight into my heart. The result of this teaching was that AC and me decided to never become each others boyfriend and girlfriend, as this would be only a half commitment. We didn't want to build anything upon feelings, thoughts or a period of trying out (boyfriend/girlfriend period). We wanted to build only upon God. So we committed to seek God and wait for him to confirm if it was his plan to bring us together. We decided to live as brother and sister untill God confirmed that we should be a couple. If that day would come, there was no need for a half commitment, because we decided to trust God. We wanted a foundation that could not be shaken. It's hard to describe how enthusiastic we were with this new insight. Our minds just couldn't get it yet, but our hearts were rejoicing.

We even chose to not hold hands, as this would already be a commitment and stir up feelings. After we did hold hands one time, we spoke about it and turned away from it. We knew it was not a sin, or a bad thing, but we were waiting for God and didn't want to take any steps in advance. In fact, we were still just a brother and sister in the process of seeking God.

Commitment!

In the end of October it was time for AC to put her cards on the table. While she was praying for her family she suddenly got a very clear picture in her mind. Now she just knew God confirmed that he had made a way for us. Right after this I suddenly walked into the room and not so long after she shared the confirmation:

''I saw a really dirty and messy football field. You and me were picking up trash and cleaning the field. Also God had his hand in it and worked together with us. After all the trash was removed and the field was clean, I suddenly saw a road. We were standing on the road, facing each other. Then God turned to me and said: 'My child, it is ready.' ''

In the preceding weeks I had said to God that it felt like my heart and spirit already knew he had confirmed, but that my mind just couldn't get it yet. My prayer was often something like:

''God, help me to see what you have already shown me.''

After the talk with AC I went to a forest to pray. I was trying to acknowledge that God confirmed also to me that he brought AC and me together, but I just couldn't get it out of my mouth. Then I recognized one last fear that came up and I gave this over to God. The fear of making my own confirmation and then saying it was God. This fear went away when I surrendered it to God. I knew he would confirm in a way I would know it was him and not me. After this I finally got the freedom to acknowledge that God already confirmed it to me. It was as if this was already laying right in front of me for a long time, but suddenly I could grasp it.

''God, now I know that I already knew. Ann-Cathrine is going to be my wife.''

Two days later I asked her to marry me and she said yes. The last weeks we have been sharing the full story, or parts of it, to family and friends. We have seen that our story, our actually God's work in us, has been a blessing for many others.

What about you?

Thank you for taking the time to read through our story. There is much more to say about it and much more details to share about what God has done in this journey. But instead of going into even more details I need to ask you... What about you?

This testimony of the living God is not for you to only think of it as a nice story and move on to hear about the next testimony. God has the power to change your life, to change your view on relationships.

If you are single or in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship then I want to challenge you. Is there anything else you want as the foundation of your relationship then God? Are you willing to be the person who can say: ''I will be your brother/sister, untill the day I know God brought us together.''?

Are you willing to drop any half commitments, bringing insecurity, and to either not commit or commit 100% to the one you love?

When do you know that you know that God confirmed? If you can take that confirmation as a foundation to marry, you know that you know. How this will be confirmed will be different from person to person. So seek God and the day you know he confirmed it for you, you will just know it.

Feel free to contact me or AC if you want to know more of our story or some advise or to share some thoughts.

During the goodbye dinner of the Luke10 students in Denmark