Rejoicing in Righteousness: Put a Ring On It

My mom and I spent about an hour looking at nail polish together in Walmart. We both love to shop - taking in all the colors, textures, and creative possibilities. This particular trip, we were in search of the next perfect color to add to our stash. Usually, if we can't decide between a few colors, we always go with the color that has the best name. Ya know.... "One fine day", "Ruby Ruby", "Plum of the Earth" or "Mint Apple". Finding out your nail polish has a cool name is the best part of the whole experience!

I would be leaving in a few days to embark on my first major road trip; traveling from Ohio to St. Louis with my dear friend Kaitlin, then heading on to Crystal Springs, Mississippi on my own. All the major details had been figured out - gracious friends to stay with, new tires on the car, oil change, bags packed, numerous prayers offered up, playlists made, audio books checked out from the library. But now, I just needed to decide what color to wear on my nails. It was a tough choice. Should I go bold, with teal? Classic with a nice red? Or subtle with light pink? I finally found a great color. A feminine shade of soft pink.

I admit, it's not the most important decision I'll ever make in my life, but it was fun none-the-less. I really enjoyed this time with my mom, just being a girl. We picked up our hues and headed home. We were chatting about my upcoming trip as we prepared to paint our nails. "Are you nervous?" "Do you think you want to marry Rob?" "Have you two known each other long enough?" I shared with her my hearts intent. He was the man I wanted to marry. He points me to Jesus. Encourages me to pray. Sings worship songs with me. Helps me share the gospel. Makes me laugh. Listens to me cry. Always gives me a gentle answer. Has desired to be a husband and father long before meeting me. Knows the Bible better than I do. Makes me want to know it better. Gives me butterflies. I could go on... I hoped he would propose. He and I had talked about it and I enjoyed his boldness and direct intentions. But I wasn't really sure when or how... or for sure, it would happen.

There was a natural pause in our conversation and I realized I hadn't checked out the name of my nail polish before buying it. This one won me over by color alone. When I flipped it over, I shrieked with joy.