Years of hurt and disappointment have caused me to be weary of, well, others. Yet when I met him, I immediately trusted him.

I cannot begin to explain why but I did not do all of my normal checks that I have done in the past with other men.

I did not run his name through Google and our state’s court case website to see what court cases or crimes were associated with him.
I did not scan through all of his social media sites to see if there were any secret girlfriends, wives, or boyfriends (look, it’s hard being single in this lifetime!).
And then after I did meet him, I spent HOURS with him on our first date, traveling to DC with a man that I barely knew and had only been around one other time.

Now, mind you, these are all actions that I would never advise my nieces or students to take, yet for some unknown reason, I did. Yeah, I trusted him from the very beginning. And all these months later, his actions have only solidified my initial beliefs and I can honestly say, he is just as wonderful as he appears. I love this man. I was not expecting him, his love, or to have these feelings for any man… yet here I am, healing and giving myself the necessary grace and permission to love again.

---

Beloved, the purpose of today’s very brief message is to inspire you to dream and have faith. For so long I had no faith in others, especially men, because of failed relationships and difficult times that have haunted me throughout my life. To step out on a leap of faith was huge to me and although fear tried to hinder me, I have given myself permission to love again. No relationship or situation will be perfect (except for God’s love towards us) but that does not mean that we should not at least try.

I have an assignment for you today (yes, it’s summer break but the teacher in me is still offering opportunities for learners to grow). Grab a journal, sheet of paper, or the notes app in your phone and do the following:

• Place today’s date at the top
• Write “Dear [fill in the blank with your name],”
• Write a love letter to yourself using all or some of the following prompts:
  • Today I release and allow myself the grace to ___
  • In the past I believed love was ____
  • ____ hurt me deeply when s/he did ___ ; today I am choosing to forgive so that I may heal.
  • Today I believe that love means ___.
  • Right now I am asking God to help me with ___.
  • The greatest burden that I carry is __.
• Sign your letter from yourself
• (BONUS) if you wrote it on paper, mail it to yourself; if you used your phone, email it to yourself. Either method allows you to have a record of how your heart was feeling in the moment.

---

I love you, Beloved, and I pray that today you give yourself permission to love.

Be blessed.