All Roads Lead to Rome.. man Catholic Churches

It was 3am on February 13th (“Valentine’s Eve”, shall we call it? Ha!), when an email about Catholic speed dating popped up.

I don’t know about you, but I’m not usually reading my emails at 3am. It felt like God was winking at me. Was this providence? Well, as my God sister says, “There’s no coincidence, only providence.”

I’m game!

The next day, I was scheduled to meet seven Godly men in an hour. We were to video chat for seven minutes, take notes at superhuman speed, then repeat.

I walked in with almost no prep. And honestly? I’m proud of that. No scripts, no fancy outfits, no list of deal-breakers, just prayers beforehand and an open heart to meeting some Godly people and having some pleasant conversations. I surrendered, “Lord, if marriage is my call, I believe that You will show me clearly.”

My future husband won’t fall in love with me because of my perfect Q&A list. He will get to know me and lean in. This was a big moment for me, because I’m someone who loves to overprepare for everything.

This level of surrender in what felt like a high-stakes moment was new for me. Seven Godly men, one chance to click. And I walked in empty-handed. But I knew I had the Lord by my side.

Old me would have marched in with a notebook full of questions, outfit planned to the T, flawless makeup. As if I could control love with preparation. But this time? Nope. No expectations. Just trust. I’m grateful the Lord has shown me my growth through this.

And honestly? It was absolutely terrifying handing Him the reins instead of death-gripping them myself. At the same time, I felt lighter. I trusted that He’s got my back.

For the first time, a first date didn’t feel like a performance. Just two children of God having a nice conversation. And then.. repeat. It was all very pleasant. We each shared a little glimpse of who the Lord has made us to be. But also, there wasn’t anybody who stirred my heart in a romantic direction.

That was, until the last person appeared on the screen.

R wore a clean, plain, but polished black sweater. A simple, gold crucifix necklace on top. We were maybe two, three minutes in when I saw the spark in his eyes when we talked about math. My goodness! Math! We bonded over math. Like, actual nerdy joy. Just before the seven-minute timer ended, he leaned in (with so much enthusiasm, in such a masculine way), “I don’t know how, but I’d love to get your phone number.”

I pointed at the crucifix on the wall behind me. Big smile on my face, “The Lord will provide!”

Then BEEP— the timer stopped.

Perfect timing. Perfect Line. Cheeky, genuine, very much me. It was exciting! Like the Lord has just blessed us with a little inside joke.

I was excited to continue our conversation.

Thanks for reading. God bless!