Do I believe there is one person for every person, specifically meant for them?
Wow, what a deep question. I used to not beleive that. I'm a logical, practical person. I used to say, "no. one can be perfectly happy with a number of people on this earth and seeing as how a huge factor in who we marry is 'proximity,' how can there be only one person anyway?" Not very romantic? I agree.
I had a boy I dated challenge that thought. Well, it was one date. I think it was one date because I disagreed with him on this thought. His email addy has "cowboy" in it, so I'll refer to him as such. Cowboy said that there had to be one person for everyone. True, he was spazzing about someone he proposed to breaking up with him about a year before, worried, he missed her. I argued, "but if she were going to leave you, aren't you glad she did it now?" He said, "Yes. No." He may have asked, "Am I?" but I don't know for sure. The point is, he was quite passionate about it.
Cowboy got me thinking about it, anyway.
I challenged my thoughts. I began worrying, "what about that great love I once had -- what if he really was THE ONE for me and we blew it and now I'll be doomed to ... to ... unhappiness... or mediocrity ... for the rest of my life!" Then I remembered something I inherently believed. I beleive -- quite firmly -- in a Merciful God. "His mercies are new every morning." Wow. That kinda changes everything.
So, to answer my more recent question, No, I'm not doomed to unhappiness. I'm not even doomed to mediocrity. The reason: we all make mistakes. His grace is sufficient. God is -- well, God. He's got this under control, right? I choose to believe, YES. Like I said, I'm a very logical person. (One doesn't study fractals and golden rectangles for a semester and not believe in a Logical, Orderly God in complete control of everything.)
So now that I'm not doomed, where can I go from here? I'm sure of this. If the person God has offered me becomes unavailable because he or I or we mess up -- make mistakes, errors, poor judgements, and just goof it all up -- He can fix it. I don't think that means I can ever have that person. Especially if he's married someone else. And he has. So that's over. Beyond over. I look ahead. And I'm grateful for what lies ahead.
And that's this: God has reformed me. I'm a different person now than I was then. I'm new. So guess what? I'll match someone else really well. Perhaps I'll match someone else whose messed up like me with someone else. And God will take care of me. Will I have mediocrity? NO! It will be fabulous. Euphorious, even. Because it's God-made. I believe this entirely, without waiver.
Now, proximity. Why can't God use this as an amazing tool in our lives? I believe the God of this universe can bring any person to where another person is for whatever reason He purposes, however he purposes. My friend met the man she believes she'll marry when we were on a mission trip in a developing country. This man was there for a brief time, on hiatus from long term missions in a different developing country on the other side of the planet. He is from one end of the states, she's from the other. They were in the same cafe in the same little country on the same day for the same purpose -- putting His kingdom first.
I realize one story isn't infallible proof. But I bet if I polled you guys, countless of you could share similar stories of you or someone you know meeting their life mate in similar circumstances. After all, I'd rather meet and marry someone who's near me than someone who's far away!
To conclude, yes, I do believe there is one man out there for me. My "Solomon" is out there. He's called to preach the gospel. He's serving the kingdom first. He's becomming the man God's called him to be. When God's finished getting him to just the right place, God will let him know what's up and tell him I'm his. Now that's romantic!
Amos 3:7