Meeting Barbara

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Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers drown it. If a man tried to buy love with all his wealth, his offer would be utterly scorned (Song of Solomon 8:7, NLT).

I was 22 years old, three years into Bible college, leading a ministry for young people called “The One Way House,” and with the ministry in Springfield and the Bible college in Cincinnati, I decided there was no time better (or it was no time at all) to start dating.

The first difficulty with dating is finding someone to date. And to be honest, I was feeling pressure because my mentor had just told me, “Grant, you should be looking for a wife. And know that your ministry will only be as successful as the woman that you marry.” 

HHHHMMMMHHM. Time to have a come-to-Jesus moment with God.

I began praying, and it’s too easy when praying for a spouse, being young, appealing more from lust than love, to ask specifically, “God, please provide a wife about 5 ft. 4 in., with looks the envy of all, smart but humble to not make me look like an idiot, willing to marry a pastor, and with perhaps a dowry of two or three million dollars.”

Yep, that should do it!

Our ministry building at that time was an old farmhouse, with a creek 300 yards behind it. After holding meetings in several large rooms in this house on Saturday evenings, young people often declared their faith and asked to be baptized. And no matter the rain, cold, or snow, we walked to the creek for baptisms. 

Often, I was “Grant the Baptizer,” going upstairs to my room (where I lived) to change my clothes, then walking down the stairwell and out the door for the baptism. About three weeks after my “I need a wife” prayer, as I walked from the bottom of the stairs heading outside for a baptism, a young woman came from another direction, and we literally ran into one another.

She was about 5 ft. 4 in. and very attractive. I looked at her, she looked at me, and we walked together the 300 yards to the creek for the baptism. Admittedly, my mind was no longer on the baptism. During that walk, I found out she attended college and was home on a break, and I didn’t ask about the two- to three-million-dollar dowry because I was in love.

The only problem was that she wasn’t a follower of Jesus, and I had made a commitment to only date a Christian. Not straying off the narrow path but getting close to the edge, I met with her three times to talk about Jesus, after which she made a profession of faith on a Saturday, and we walked together to the creek, where, again, I was “Grant the Baptizer.”

That night, I asked her if she would like to date me. She said, “Yes!” And by the slimmest of margins, I kept my vow to only date a Christian. This upcoming July 9, we will have been married for 49 years.

Tomorrow, Happy Valentine’s Day!