Perfect Love in God’s Perfect Time

Ecclesiastes 3:11,He has made everything beautiful in it’s time.

God has a perfect timing for everything.It takes a little patience and faith, but it is worth
the wait. Before, I believe that waiting is just a waste of time but then when I had put my
trust in the Lord, I learned that it is better to wait a while and have things fall into place
than to rush things and have things fall apart.This is my story, this is my testimony.

Our first meeting was during the first fay of our three day Encounter God Retreat at
JOHIA Relentless Church Barretto, Olongapo City, wherein all the delegates were
grouped according to our sex and age.I belong to the group of young teens girls while
he was with the young teens boys.He was a guide of their group back then while I was
one of the delegates.During the break,I noticed someone was staring at our group
intently and when I looked around I saw a man staring at my direction.Then, my fellow
delegates noticed that he was staring at us so they asked our leaders about that, so our
guide in our group asked him why.He said he was just checking whether his co-guide
was doing the right thing.Then he asked, “Who asked you that?” and my guide
answered him, “One of the delegates in my group asked that.”While they were talking at
each other I was looking at them, he take a glance at me and that time then, he thought
that I was the one who asked about that.

During the second day, my leader told me to wake up early so we could take a bath
early in the morning. Then at about 4 am, we woke up and went to the bathroom. The
bathroom happened to be near the place where other guide was sleeping because the
rooms were not enough to accommodate all the guides and delegates.The guides there
were still fast asleep during that time but suddenly someone awakened when I started
talking loudly, it was him, the man who stared at our group before.He woke up and for
the second time, he stared at me intently until I entered the bathroom to take my turn for
a bath.

During the activities on that day, he just keeps on staring at the direction where I was.
Then one of my friends got curious on why he never stop staring on our direction.Some
of my co-delegates thought it was one of my co-delegates whom he was staring at but
later on during the last session, some of my co-delegates told me that it was obviously
me whom he was staring at.

On the last day of our retreat, nothing has changed.He was still staring where I was.
That was the time when I got curious about him, who he is or why he was staring at me
or was it really me he was staring at.And there was a part of me that I wanted to know
his name.And I heard some of his friends said, “Joshua” and then I thought his name
was Joshua.

It was Sunday and we celebrate Sunday Worship Service at JOHIA Relentless Church
Barretto right after the three day Encounter God Retreat.There was a part of the service
wherein all who attended the service will greet each other by shaking one another’s
hand.I shook hands with the others and I noticed that he shook hands with all the
people near where I was except to me.And when he finally in front of me, he did not
shake hands with me nor greet me rather he just stared at me for more about three
minutes.

Before the Sunday Worship Service ends, our Senior Pastor called someone to share
his testimony about standing firm on his faith in God.Then one of the three persons he
called was someone that I don’t know.Pastor called a name John Paul and it was only
then when I got to know that the Joshua that I know who stared at me always was really
not Joshua, his name is John Paul.
After the Sunday Worship Service, before finally going back to Botolan, we bid goodbye
to all on JOHIA Relentless family in Barretto and they bid goodbye too. But I noticed
that John Paul was just staring at us.Then, when I finally got in the service vehicle, he
went rushing towards in front of the car and finally bid goodbye, staring at me saying,
“Goodbye, take care and God bless.”

When we were finally home, me and my friends made a random add on Facebook and I
didn’t notice that one of the persons I added was him and he instantly confirmed my
friend request.That was the start of everything.We started chatting, he became my
friend and we started to get to know each other so well. For nine months we are
chatting up until now, we built a strong friendship that I couldn’t imagine that it will be
built just through chatting, phone calls, video calls, messages and got a chance to meet
each other twice.Until I got to met his mother online, and he got to meet my parents too
online and in person. Our friendship became open for the both sides of our families.We
became so close and on January 01,2019, he finally admitted to me that he likes me
and saw me not just as his future girlfriend but as his future wife.

Months passed by and we become closer than before.We both knew that we had a
feelings for each other but we agreed to wait for God’s perfect time.Both of us are
currently studying and at the same time serving the Lord.Both of us are doing our
ministry and leading the both young teens ministry in our churches..He is also a cell
group leader at out mother Church in Barretto.He knew that having a relationship is not
my first priority and I know that it is not his priority also so, he promised me that he will
wait for me in God’s perfect time.Both of us are still in the process of growing and being
more mature.We have already agreed upon that we should not rush things, that what
we should do is to serve God first, finish our studies and especially to inspire other
youth and give an encouragement not to rush love because perfect love has its own
timeline.Though there are misunderstanding sometimes but still the Lord gives us
always this reminder to carry on and build a stronger, deeper and more Godly
relationship.For us, “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Ecclesiastes 3:11.

I had a past relationship before and I am blessed that God taken away that person in
my life because he sent me one person that loves God more than me, that loves me the
way how God wants me to be loved.Waiting could not be the same with other youth
that rush things and have their relationships at their young age but I will always choose
to be different to others than to be with a guy that’s just my will and will make things
hard for me.Instead I will wait for the will of God for me to have a relationship that will
pursue to love him more first before pursuing to love me.I choose to serve God while
waiting until God let us meet in His perfect time.

Glaiza M. Sangalang
HUMSS 12A