"God was so good to put us together!" -SC

Five years ago, our paths crossed, and you quickly became one of the most important and influential people in my life. You have always been special to me, but never in a million years would I have guessed that you would be the one to help me build my relationship with God. You always say that it was all Him, but you played such a huge part in it all. You allowed God to use you in such a beautiful way. He called, you answered, and through your unwavering faith and persistence, you opened my eyes to the purest form of love.

When I first met you, I was angry at God. I was so angry that I decided to cut Him completely out of my life; but looking back, I really had no clue who God was. I grew up in a church that was all about rules and judgement, and less about the personal relationship that we should seek to have with Him. You showed me a different side to Christianity. One that was truly focused more on faith and what that means to an individual person.

I know that at times, I was hard to deal with. In the beginning, I did more talking than listening, but you always made the effort to answer my questions to the best of your ability. There may have been times when you were frustrated that I could not see what you saw in God, but you never let that show. You were even so sweet to send me devotions, songs, affirmations, and refer me to amazing Christian influences such as Lysa TerKeurst. Even though there were times when I showed no signs of ever accepting God into my life, you never gave up on me. That means more than you know.

Other than your love and willingness to share your faith, you gave me what I refer to now as one of my favorite and most personal gifts; a bible. When I had originally received it, I thought to myself "I don't even believe in God, what am I going to do with this?". Nevertheless, I brought it with me to college, having no idea of how useful it would be in the journey that lay ahead of me.

Freshman year had a horrible start. There were several weeks when I called you hysterically crying and ready to give up on everything. You answered every single call, and would reassure me that God would work things out; that things would eventually be good. With me being the control freak that I am, I had no idea how I was supposed to just give all of my worries away, much less to someone that I could not even see; but you kept trying to convince me of how much easier it is to stop handling everything on my own, so I took your word for it.

You still do that to this day. You are one of the few people who has always been there for me in times of trouble. There are so many times when you could have stopped trying, and given the task to someone else to do; but your gentle persistence is a great testament to your steadfast faith.

I remember coming back to my room one day after class feeling overwhelmed. I had truly come to the end of myself. Normally, I would have searched for a temporary, less fulfilling escape; whether it be listening to music, writing, or catching up on the latest Netflix series. This night, however, I remembered the bible that you gave me. I pulled it out, and placed it on my bed. I noticed the price sticker that you had tried to take off months before, and being the symbolic person that I am, I decided to use that sticker as a symbol for what would come next. I remember saying "Okay, God, if you're real, this sticker is going to come off." It came off with no trouble, and that was the beginning of my new life.

I called you immediately after that. "I'm a Christian now," I said. Your response had a hint of surprise in it, but also a bit of a "I knew you would come around," tone to it. You are always so good like that.

We have always been close, but ever since that day, our bond has strengthened. Looking back, I now see God's hand in all of our interactions from the very beginning, and I would not trade that for the world. Words cannot describe how blessed I am to have you in my life.

I hope you know just how much I love you, and how much I appreciate everything that you have done, and continue to do for me. You are such a remarkable influence in my life, and inspire me to share my faith with others. I hope to be half the person you are some day; to find my "Sienna", and help them restore their faith in God as you helped me.

So, to my "spiritual mother", my accountability partner, and my best friend, you are so right. God was SO GOOD to put us together, and I am so glad that He did!

Love you lots!

Sienna