If walls could talk, what would they say? Would we want them to recall the things we've seen and the memories we cherish? Or would we tremble in fear at the things we don't know and the secrets they could share?

They have seen it all. No one can hide from them and nobody tries. It can be a scary thought thinking about what these walls can share, but if we set aside our own pride that says MY secrets are the desired treasure of the world, maybe, just maybe we could see a much bigger picture.

Sure, most of our houses today would share family secrets and neighborhood dramas. But then again they only have a couple decades of stories to share. Can you imagine the stories that the walls within a plantation house several centuries old would have?  If they could talk, can you imagine the centuries of history they could share? Their stories would go beyond secrets of individuals and deceit in one's family. Their stories would not depict an individual or a family, they would depict the history of our nation.

We would hear stories of how plantations were run. We could understand the risk and reward of being the plantation owner or gardner or slave.  We would hear stories of how masters truly treated their slaves. We could understand the hierarchical system of the household, throughout the centuries. We could hear stories of why the plantations failed. We could hear stories of who had to join the civil war and the families torn over southern and northern ideals. They could share how the end of the war effected the people who lost loved ones and who lost what they were fighting for.

Can you picture what it was like to first turn the switch that brings light to an entire room by electricity? These walls could. Can you picture what it was like to first turn a knob that could fill a tub with water? These walls could. Can you picture what it was like to first hear the ring from a human trying to talk to you on the other side of a phone? These walls could.

If walls could talk they could share a history far deeper than textbooks and more accurate than newspapers.  If walls could talk would they bother with personal secrets of individuals, or would they share the history of a nation?

I can no longer count the years I have been "on the go." I have moved so many times it took my once free spirit and drained it of any desire to live in new places. I have lived in Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, and Maine in the past two years and have had a total of four state changing moves in one calendar year.

Once upon a time I desired to "see the world" but now I feel as though I have been homeless for years, constantly moving for far too long. Prior to this season of life, prior to college, I lived in the same town and the same house all my life only every traveling for vacations. I, like the Israelites, had set my roots in a town before I was even born, but now have been on the move for what feels like forever.

At first I left with praise, only to grumble and complain shortly after. But grumbling no longer describes it, for I have been moving far too long. Wearisome is a much better word to describe the state it has become. It's been lonely, hopeless, and continuous, something the Israelites and I could have found solace in knowing we're not alone.

The Israelites and I hold two more commonalities, we both have had clear signs that God is providing for us, and yet we both have an absolutely terrible memory. For them it was food and water that they required in the desert and God provided every time. For me it was shelter, and God has provided beyond my own means.

And yet through all this, a part of me asks God why He took me from a home full of friends and family, like the Israelites begging to return to Egypt where they could fill their stomachs with food. It is moments like this that God foresaw, and it is moments like this that God took us both through the Red Sea to no longer allow us to return to our comfortable/complacent state. You see, had we returned to our previous life (me in my hometown and the Israelites in Egypt) we never would have grown up, much less grown at all. We both needed to move out and move on, despite the discomfort and grumbling, but God provided for our every need (not want, but need).

It's easy to read the miracles God blessed the Israelites with on their trek through the wilderness and wonder how they could forget God's clear provisions, and yet I do the same in my own life. The only difference is that I know the end of the story for the Israelites, so it's easier to point the finger. I know they find their way to the promised land, despite the years upon years of constant moving and homelessness/uprooting.

So as I point the finger at those complaining Israelites I can't help but face the fact that just as I know the ending to their story, so too has God given me the ending to mine...it is the same. God promised to the Israelites that they would reach the promised land and they did. God does not bring people through the wilderness, through trials, through pain, through anything without a clear purpose and a destination.

So I am here. I am ready to end this season of life and set roots where I am here in New Jersey. But the difficulties now is relearning how to set roots of permanence after being on the move for so long. How does one build a home when they've been living in a movable tent for so long? Setting roots does not solve problems, it is merely a different season of problems.

And just because I desire to set roots out of weariness does not mean I can stop listening to God's leading. I believe that I am here to set roots, and oh how I want to set roots, but that is not up to me or even to Steve. We set our roots where God leads and we enter into seasons of wilderness where God leads, all we have to do is continuously obey and hold faith that God has a purpose for it all.

We've all heard and used the phrase "opposites attract" specifically within the context of relationships (friends, couples, etc). Whether we're referring to personality types, interests, or habits the phrase commonly applies. Sometimes it's used sarcastically to portray the difficulties as if it were some kind of cosmic joke, other times it's used to suggest some aspect of chance that would bring two opposites together to balance each other out. The phrase hints at some sort of truth, however I don't think it quite grasps the whole picture.

See, anyone who has been in a lasting relationship knows that after a while, if at all, opposites no longer "attract." In fact, opposites tend to conflict and cause distance between friends and spouses alike. Being in any sort of relationship where opposites coexist will at some point become very difficult simply because opposites don't naturally see eye to eye, but that in no way means the relationship is less valuable or desirable. Actually I would go so far to say that in spite of difficulty this kind of relationship is MOST valuable and should be MOST desirable.

I see an ideal relationship much like I see a puzzle; each person fills in the inadequacies or biased perspectives of the other so, although they can "get in each other's hairs" about some things, it's a balancing act that helps complete on another. While the concept of "completing one another" is often applied to couples, the same is true for deep friendships. In fact I think every kind of relationship we have helps complete each other in simple and in more significant ways. Character building is, in my opinion, the ultimate result of maintaining and building healthy relationships.

The relationships that have the deepest and most unique and long lasting effect on us are the ones that aren't because our opposites "attracted" but because those quirks, those opposite views and interests were MADE to fit into the equation of the relationship.

Anyone who has spent some time putting together a puzzle knows that there are basic and generic cuts to each piece much like everyone has shallow passerby type relationships, and many pieces and people can fill those basic gaps. But the deeper, more detailed, and more complicated cuts require a specific matching piece. That's why there is so much beauty and intrigue in the deepest of relationships (most notably, though not only, in a relationship between husband and wife) because fitting such detailed pieces together cannot happen by luck. Those pieces either have to be awkwardly forced together (either by themselves or by those around them) or there has to be a Maker who specifically designed those pieces to fit together. (And for those relationships forced together don't fret, the Designer can still mend the situation whether it be a morphing process or a surgical process, but only He gets to make that call.)

So, whether of friends or spouses, rather than saying "opposites attract" I think "opposites are designed to fit together" better incapsulates the beautiful complexities of a valuable relationship.

My fiancé, Steve, and I met only a year and a month ago, been dating for eight and a half months, and are to be married in four. In our day and age that is abnormally quick and often seen to be irrational. Many loved ones have expressed concern to us and, honestly, I appreciate them loving us enough to approach us.

If you are in this category of concerned people, I understand because I've been there. I have seen both family and friends (including a brother and a bridesmaid) who have had similar speedy relationships that raised concern. To be honest they don't fit the mold of reason that our culture presents us. Culturally we are told to know the person inside and out before we could ever have enough information to be assured that the marriage can last. That's entirely reasonable.

I suppose you could call me a hypocrite for having such concerns with others having such short relationships before pursuing a lifelong marriage, but now I understand. I am not saying that all relationships should be so short since I have seen an equal amount of friends and family take years and years before marriage came into the picture.

In a world of uncertainty we grasp for ways to find assurance. Some people find assurance in time, Steve and I have found assurance elsewhere.

Back in high school one of my classmates came was engaged to marry...in high school! How absurd, the class agreed upon hearing the news. But really it wasn't out of the norm for her and her family. A few days later our teacher brought in some information on arranged marriages. Arranged marriages have been cultural for centuries throughout the ages, just not the past century. That's just not our culture in America, these days. The only arranged marriages are seen through popular dating sites that match up compatibility, but even those aren't seen to be 'arranged' per say, they are seen as filtering those whom we date.

Steve and I did not meet via any website, however I consider us to having had an arranged marriage. It was not our parents who arranged it, nor was it a friend who set us up on a blind date. No, we had a different kind of arranged marriage. Ours was arranged and designed by God. I do not say this to justify any sense of rushed behavior, in fact that fact is the only way I could go through with such a quick marriage. I had it in my mind that I would want to know my future spouse for years upon years. It made sense in that it offered a feeling of security.

But this is different.

I have an assurance I can only explain this way; that just as God made me, He made us for one another. It is not that we are head over heels for each other (though there is no love and desire lacking in our relationship), it is not that we are perfectly compatible for each other (though our differences cause us to grow every day...like it or not. Haha), it is simply that God brought us together and God kept us together. My commitment to God goes entirely hand in hand with my commitment to Steve.  While I see our relationship as such a blessing in my life and I love him so much, I recognize that it is also an act of obedience to God. Our relationship is an act of worship to God out of obedience, and what a blessing it is that I desire this relationship just as much. When I doubt our relationship I do not run to any aspect of Steve's character or his love for me, I run to God...and peace kicks out any doubt out of my mind.

Culturally, we don't know each other well enough for marriage. Culturally, we don't have enough proof that we will last. Culturally, we are not being reasonable getting married so soon. But God is bigger than that. God brought us together, kept us together, and He also leads us together and He is leading us to marriage in this timeframe. As terrifying as it is for me to disregard the reason I abided by for so long, to date for years before marriage, I have faith.

When the lovey feelings fade, when circumstances in life alter our personalities, when age increases and boredom tries to knock on our door...I have assurance in God.