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Whenever my husband prays aloud for us, I'm overwhelmed with a sense of comfort and love for both him and the ever wise and humorous God who paired us up. It seems that my husband and I beat all odds to be together, but at the same time some force was holding us together like magnets. I think that is what love is...to be in awe of the Lord who so creatively brought together an unlikely pair, and to behold that partner with sheer amazement and satisfaction, as if the stars couldn't have been placed in a more appropriate place. When my husband and I first met, it was at a Starbucks coffee on a chilly January afternoon when the air felt still with anticipation for change. The month before, I had created a MySpace account out of curiosity and boredom. I 'browsed' through the 'friends' in my vicinity according to my zip code. I had no serious interest in anyone's profile until I came across Daniel's. The display name said Danish, and underneath was a profile picture of what resembled none other than a rock star - taken at an upward angle, stage lights illuminating the background, holding a fancy guitar with his face contorted as if he were singing his heart out. I immediately clicked to view his pictures. He was handsome and rough-looking and I was strangely drawn to him. I sent him a message that read, "Hmm...Danish. Your name reminds me of breakfast." As was customary with MySpace networking, he replied with some explanation of his name and that we should chat sometime and he left me his AIM screen name.

I had never done anything as daring as meeting my husband for the first time. It was nerve-racking, electric. Like realizing you could fly but were too afraid to. I still can't say what it was that provoked me to meet with a stranger from the internet. It had to be providence; an unconventional match-making occurrence which was a result of God's hand jerking across the universe because He hit his funny bone. I wonder if I would have met Daniel in any other circumstance, or if I would have married someone else had I not felt curious enough to create a MySpace. Aside from the what-ifs, the ongoings of that year were a blur. The relationship progressed like the onset of a hurricane - quickly and dangerously. Pubescent remnants were escaping in spurts as our relationship began to grow into one of substance, with questions being asked of life, love, and God. At 19 years of age, I was only a fundamental Christian with faith as strong as how I felt about injustice and conflict - pretty strong, yet I wasn't going to take action to make any significant changes. One day, as we were discussing the theory of evolution, Daniel smugly stated, "The Bible says God created the animals and humans, but I believe he may have allowed other things to happen, such as evolution, and we would be foolish to limit God to the Bible; He's bigger than that." I was morbidly appalled. As a firm believer in the Bible, almost to a literal sense, I couldn't believe the audacity he had to challenge the truth and to be such an open receptacle like all the other silly college kids who claim to be 'open-minded.' I wanted to prove him otherwise, and that was the cascading effect to a multitude of fiery, passionate fights about what seemed like irreconcilable differences.

You don't realize what a horrible person you are until you find yourself in an exchange of vicious verbal attacks with someone you claim to love. There was a hideous beast within me that I didn't mind unleashing to get my point across, no matter how petty the point was.