God Wrote This Story Long Before I Knew

“You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭139‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

As a child, I was taught that marriage is the only romantic relationship God honors. I grew up with a beautiful example of marriage in my own home, and I was surrounded by strong, loving marriages in my community. So, from early on, I deeply desired a God-ordained union. I wanted my purpose partner — the man God designed for me, and I for him.

Three and a half years ago, I married the most wonderful man. The man I knew God made specifically for me — and trust me, I asked Him many times just to be sure 😅. Even though we’re still in the toddler years of marriage, life has definitely been life-ing — parenthood, career shifts, aging parents, and everything in between. And during those seasons, you can lose sight of that initial spark. But after spending the last several weeks intentionally seeking God together, He revealed something to me:

For context, Ray is 100% Nigerian. From day one, I embraced and respected his culture. I’m even learning Igbo now so we can teach our son together. One thing I’ve always admired is the poetic sentiment and intentionality Nigerians put into names. They understand the power of words.

Yesterday, while reflecting on that, I realized I didn’t actually know the meaning of our last name. So naturally, I asked my husband — and did a little research of my own. What I discovered stopped me in my tracks. Our surname essentially means: “Let me be for the people” or “May I serve the people.”

And instantly, God reminded me of something. Back in graduate school, we took a series of assessments to determine our leadership style and personality type. And guess what mine was?

Servant Leader.

Insightful Humanitarian.

So you’re telling me I married into a family whose very name means “May I serve the people”???

insert praise break right here

Just another layer of confirmation — years later — that I married exactly who I was meant to. God will blow your mind like that.

This revelation reminded me that no matter the ebbs and flows, the sweet seasons and the more challenging ones, I am with exactly who God intended for me. And He will carry us through every chapter.