Marriage is a wonderful grace gift from the Lord (Genesis 2:18-25; Ephesians 5:18-33). How blessed I am for the Lord to guide me to my right woman almost 35 ½ years ago.
Our first outing was a pure friendship date and nothing else. My first “crush” on a girl was in the first grade, and all through elementary school, it was “will you go with me?” questions. Then I continued to date through junior high and high school always hoping I would marry my “childhood sweetheart.” When I arrived at college, it was a “wow moment” when I realized there were three girls to every one guy on campus! By the time my junior year rolled around, I was done with the dating scene. Too many heart breaks, too many tense moments, too many temptations, too many “crash-and-burn” dates, and I had had it!
Hence, the first outing with Denise was as I said earlier, a friendship style date. My Chevrolet Impala had a bench seat, which always begged for your date to sit next to you. But on this evening, I did not even ask. She sat on her side, and I drove. No stress; just us being ourselves. You see, Denise too, had gotten tired of the dating scene as well. We went out for supper and bowling. We had a blast! We were just two people having fun with no expectations or strings attached.
The reason for such a good evening was our attitude toward dating. Having heard some solid teaching on the doctrine of right man and right woman from Genesis 2, we began to believe in the sovereignty of God to bring His mate for both of us. His way is always perfect (Psalm 18:30), and He can orchestrate life so much better than we could ever imagine. So, with calmness in our hearts, we both had a great time that night.
Yes, we continued to “go out” and realized that God was directing this relationship. Our dating years were so much fun! After I graduated from college, we were married. Now after thirty-three years, we’re still having fun!
You are probably wondering where the title “Barbeque Sundae” comes into this story. Well, it’s simply this. We have found a quaint restaurant near us in Limestone, TN, known as Old Pilot Hill General Store. They have a unique entrée on the menu known as a Barbeque Sundae which is delicious barbeque, beans, and slaw all layered and served in a mason jar. Recently, because Denise and I are still dating, we drove to the country, sat outside on the large porch, side-by-side, and an enjoyed a quaint meal, the quiet and each other!
When you wait on God’s best, work every day at your marriage, and keep dating, it’s like a Barbeque Sundae—-it all goes together! And it’s good!!
From A Pastor's Heart 