I also have not written much about Caleb since we started dating, and I feel like he deserves some face time in my writing. I would not have guessed that first day of class last January that I would be dating the guy who sat a row ahead of me. Sure, I knew him from freshman choir, and the previous semester, we had walked to choir together after class at 3:00. But when he messaged me on fb to say he was sorry I was sick and that I shouldn’t drop the class, I didn’t know that in three months I would be dating him. I just thought he was a nice guy. I had asked to be in the class (which wasn’t normally offered to non-minsterial students) because I wanted the teacher, and after getting it all cleared, there was no way I was going to drop the class. And thus began our relationship. Caleb and I would meet in the lobby of Alumni for lunch sometimes, and because we had two hours between the end of chapel and our class, we would just hang out and talk and maybe study. And the more often we talked, the more I knew there was something special about this guy. I liked being able to talk to him. I was comfortable with him.
And then came Living Gallery. Neither one of us had someone to go with, so one day at lunch, he asked me to go with him. And in the meantime, he asked if I wanted to go to a Bible Conference service with him. One service turned into two, and then three, and then four. He just kept showing up. I guess I was finally starting to see that this was turning into more than just friends. I was very nervous about Living Gallery. I was starting to realize I liked him, and I was hoping that this would be the one. We started eating lunch together more often and talking more. And then came that first “I like you.” Which quickly progressed to “Will you be my girlfriend?”
We started dating a year and (almost) 3 months ago. We had not quite a month together, and then we went our separate ways to camp, with very little communication (only on weekends). We got back from camp, only to say goodbye again, because he left right before my 20th birthday to travel on the fall ministry team for BJU. Those first few months were very hard, but very good for us. When he got back in November, it was surreal to actually see him in person so often, but it was so good to have him home again.
Since then, he has become my best friend, and I have grown a lot in my relationship with God because of my relationship with Caleb. As I have grown closer to him, he has pushed me toward a deeper, more intimate relationship with my God, and I really appreciate that. He has been there to gently correct and point me back when I stumbled, and he has always been a challenge to me through his spiritual maturity. He is a natural leader, and he commands respect by his character, not with loud words or by instilling fear. He is very wise, and patient, and compassionate. And he has a good sense of humor. He is not awkward in a crowd, but rather welcomes others and makes them feel like a meaningful part of the group. He knows how to be in the world, but not of the world. His discretion puts me to shame at times. And all of this is because he has allowed the Holy Spirit to work through him and use his natural talents and develop new gifts and abilities. As we continue to move toward a closer relationship, I pray that God will continue to guide him and use him to bless others as He has used him (and continues to use him) to bless me.
