The Story of Us (How We Came to be the Kedershas)
I don’t think I’ve ever shared our story on this blog of how Kristen and I came to be the Kedersha family. And since it’s her birthday today (May 3rd), it seems like a good day to share our story and a few lessons we've learned along the way.
We met in the fall of 1997. I was a grad student in my third and final year of physical therapy school in Atlanta, and Kristen was working full-time at a spinal cord injury hospital in Atlanta. By God’s grace, I was assigned a two-month rotation at the hospital where Kristen worked and she was assigned to be my clinical instructor.
To this day, almost 19 years after we met, I can still tell you exactly where we were when we met and what she was wearing the first time we talked. It was a clear case of love at first sight. At least for one of us. It took the other four years to get with the program!
Kristen was a brand new Christian when we met, and I was in the exploring/searching phase of life. I finally trusted in Christ as my Savior a few months later and we started dating a few months after that. Unfortunately, we pretty much defined unhealthy relationship. We did almost all the things we say NOT to do in Merge, and didn’t do many of the things we recommend couples should do! We dated on and off for about a year, and it continued to be a very unhealthy relationship.
To be more explicit, we crossed boundaries physically, Kristen lacked kindness towards me (aka was mean to me) and I was pathetic, pitiful and codependent in my relationship with Kristen. At the strong urging of both of our community groups, we ended the relationship in the spring of 2000. We still worked together, but we were determined to bring some closure to our dating relationship.
The next few months were among the greatest seasons of spiritual growth each of us has ever experienced. We both got serious about our relationship with Jesus, started serving in our church, started dealing with our sin patterns and dove in deeper with our small groups.
In the process, in a way I never would have expected, I suddenly became attractive to Kristen. For the first time, she saw in me a guy who loved the Lord and who could lead her spiritually in a relationship. Around six months after we broke up, Kristen actually asked me out on a date. To a REALLY expensive restaurant, might I add.
The second time around, things were completely different. She was no longer mean, I was no longer pitiful and we were both more in love with Jesus than each other. Our community groups and families celebrated the fact that we were back together as a couple.
The rest, as they say, is history. I proposed to her on February 27, 2001, and we tied the knot on September 15, 2001. This September we will celebrate 15 years of marriage (see 13 Reasons Why I Love My Wife and 14 More Reasons Why I Love My Wife).
Today I celebrate my amazing wife. We couldn’t be much more different from each other in so many ways. We are aligned in what we believe about the most important things, but are so different in many of the little things. We drive each other crazy at times, but are committed to helping the other grow and become more like Christ.
Join me in celebrating my wife. I’m glad she was born and I couldn’t be more grateful for the Lord’s work in each of our lives and in His perfect timing. If you know her, pray for her today. If you don’t, you can still pray for her. She has her hands full at home with me and our four boys!
At dinner on Sunday night, each of our boys took a turn encouraging and celebrating their mom. It was awesome to hear them describe her in the ways so many of us know her and the awesome things we all see in her.
Proverbs 31:28-29 says, “Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all."
Amen, and Happy Birthday, Kristen Kedersha!