Surprised By Love

Posted February 14, 2022 by Jeannette Wilcock

Categories: Featured, Jeannette, Sister Post

He kept joking around with me saying, ”We should go on a date!” Then he would chuckle as if he knew I would turn him down one more time. 

The Pursuit

My husband Steve and I  were in high school when we first met working at a local restaurant together. He pursued me, yet I didn’t take him seriously. He worked as a cook. He wore a hairnet. This was not how I envisioned the man of my dreams! However, it was clear this boy was different and ready to go the extra mile for me.

He would stay late after his shift was over to help me finish my side work. He would go out into the cold night to start my car and scrape the frost off my windows. His laughter was contagious. It filled the kitchen. Everyone would laugh with him and he would laugh harder. He was kind, easy to talk to, easy to tease, and easy to please. 

So that winter when my friend and I were thinking about prom and we didn’t have dates, I thought of Steve. My friend and I hatched a plan to nonchalantly bring up the idea and see where it went. A smile spread across his face as he heard my idea and quickly agreed. “Yes, we should go to Prom together! Do you want to go?” So it was set. We were going to prom together. I finally said yes to the date! 

Prior to prom, we had our first date in February of 1990. It was a long evening at my house looking at old photo books of my sisters and me when we were younger, interrupted by  my two youngest giggling and peeking in from behind the door. He cordially went along with the silliness. That night led to many long walks at night around my neighborhood, holding hands. By the time prom came, we were inseparable, and by that summer we were engaged! 

Surprised By Love

Have you ever been surprised by love? Have you had someone pursue you—someone in your life who has made you feel you’re the only one that matters—who will go the distance for and with you?  Are you still hoping to find this love? 

I came from a broken family of divorce, so the consistent love of a father was lacking in my life. This love caught me by surprise, and took time to recognize it as a reflection of God’s love for me.

Since that day, my husband Steve has surprised me by love in more ways than I can count. Knowing faith was important to me, he joined my church and sought to make the faith his own. Although he was on his own career path, he chose to switch plans and attend cosmetology school as I had, so we could fulfill my dream together of opening a salon. He supported my musical goals, to the point of moving us to Nashville to pursue them. He supported my deep desire for a family, as we endured many medical procedures to achieve a pregnancy, then walked with me the adoption journey when we were unable to conceive. Our marriage has been an adventure in many ways, yet not void of trials. 

Going The Distance

The heartache and disappointment of our inability to get pregnant month after month, and later, the hope that we would get a call announcing we had been chosen to be parents, were more than I could bear at times. Yet my husband stayed by my side and together, with God’s help, we eventually experienced the joy of becoming parents through adoption. 

After the adoption, Steve desired to remain in Nashville, as our salon was thriving. We had many friends and life was good. Yet something felt incomplete living so far from family. So we moved back west with our first child to be close to family and start over again.  

I talk about this love because it is my living witness of Christ’s sacrifice made for me and for you. He laid down his life so we could live with him  forever in eternity. He showed me this most clearly when I came out of brain surgery almost four years ago and sensed the intense, indescribable love of God for me and for each one of His children. 

I am so grateful to Steve for showing me what unconditional love looks like and for being a reflection of God’s love for me. Whether you have experienced this kind of earthly love or not, know that God’s love is real and all-encompassing. He will pursue you and never give up on you. He is the giver of everything good and desires to give you all you need, to be your everything. It’s a love we can’t comprehend. It’s never-ending, always giving, willing to go to bat for us, and wanting our very best. 

Maybe you, too, have known betrayal and brokenness in your life. With our hearts open to God and all he has for us, we will surely be surprised by love!