GREYHAIRLADYSPEAKSOUT

When His timing turns closed chapters into holy beginnings

Sometimes life takes longer to write a happy ending than we expect. We grieve, we wait, we hope, and sometimes we even wonder if love will ever feel possible again. But God’s timing is perfect, and His story for our hearts is always more beautiful than we could even imagine. This is a story about faith, patience, and the quiet ways He brings joy back into a life that thought its best chapters were already written.

When My Plans Fell Apart (and God Wasn’t Surprised)

I spent a stretch of time trying to make my own story work, nudging doors open that were never meant for me, hoping mismatched connections might somehow settle into place. And when they didn’t, I felt the sting of disappointment wash over me more than once.

But even in the misfires, I could feel God’s humor, His guidance, and yes… His protection. Because the moment I stopped trying to fix my own story and finally trusted Him to unfold it, something shifted. He sent someone steady, kind, funny, faith-filled, and genuine.

“God never stops writing. Not when we’re older. Not when we’re unsure. Not when we think the best chapters are behind us.”

When God brought this man into my life, it felt like hope quietly stepping back into the room. And now, it’s simply exciting watching where this journey is going.

Becoming a Woman Who Trusts God’s Timing

I’ve come to a place in life where I’m no longer afraid of the woman God is shaping me into, nor of the partner He is preparing me to be. Time has a way of softening our edges and deepening our perspective.

When you’ve lived a little longer, grieved a little deeper, and prayed a little harder, you begin to see something beautiful: God never stops writing. Not when we’re older. Not when we’re unsure. Not when we think the best chapters are behind us.

Passages like Ephesians 5 stop feeling like instructions on how to behave and start sounding like God whispering, “My Daughter, this is what love looks like when I’m at the center.” Colossians 3 becomes a call to clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; virtues that matter even more in a seasoned love story. And 1 Peter 3 reminds me that the kind of beauty God treasures is the quiet strength of a woman whose heart rests in Him, trusting His timing and His leading.

Life, Grief, and the Soil for Something New

Life has shaped us, gently at times, painfully at others. Through building, waiting, and believing long before answers arrived, we’ve learned that nothing grows without vision, purpose, and faith. Love is no different. Real love, especially in this season of life, isn’t just butterflies, soft words, or sweet moments (though we treasure those). It’s choosing one another with intention, walking steadfast in grace, and letting God carry the map.

After my late husband died, grief became my teacher. There’s no manual, no timeline, no easy way through it. But grief has a way of tilling the soil of the heart, turning broken ground into a place where God can plant something new. And whether you are newly single, a widow, or have simply experienced seasons of waiting, His work is steady and intentional, even when it feels slow.

“Real love isn’t just butterflies or sweet words. It’s choosing one another with intention, walking in grace, and letting God carry the map.”

Online Adventures and Divine Guidance

Past posts were about stepping back into the world of dating, and how it was… well; let’s say … an adventure. Some men looked good on paper but had a very creative relationship with the truth. One claimed to be a missionary in Sweden but couldn’t spell “missionary.” Another nearly catfished me, but God nudged my spirit with, “Not this one, daughter,” and sure enough, the moment money was mentioned, something smelled fishy (and not the good kind).

Even in those misfires, God’s kindness was threaded through every disappointment. His humor, His protection, His gentle nudges, “Not this one.” And when I finally stopped trying to manage my own story, He brought someone into my life who is steady, kind, funny, faith-filled, and genuinely good. A man who reflects the heart of those Scriptures I had prayed over for years, the respect of Ephesians 5, the gentleness of Colossians 3, and the honorable strength of 1 Peter 3.

That’s when this man appeared. And what a joy, a quiet, steady joy, it has been to watch where God is leading us. It feels hope filled. Tender. Sacred.

A Slow Bloom, Rooted in Prayer

Our connection didn’t feel like a whirlwind; it unfolded like a slow, steady bloom. It began with online chats and grew through pages and pages of emails, enough to have taken down a small forest if we’d printed them all out! It is rooted in prayer, honesty, and laughter, we’re moving forward the old-fashioned way: God first, prayerfully, with boundaries that honor Him and honor each other.

Some might say it’s fast, maybe it is. But at this stage in our lives, we’re not pretending we have forever. We have today, and we want to live it joyfully, faithfully, and with grateful hearts. We prayed for this, trusting that God would move in His perfect timing. And now, as we see His hand gently shaping our steps, we rest in the certainty of His plan and the sweet gratitude that comes with watching our prayers answered, and unfold before our eyes.

“Whether young, seasoned, or carrying the experience of loss as a widow, we have today, and we want to live it joyfully, faithfully, and with grateful hearts.”

Faith is not just hope; it is surrender, leaning completely on His wisdom, resting in His timing, and trusting that He who began this good work will bring it to completion.

A Redemption Story

This isn’t a replacement story. It’s a redemption story. God took the ashes of my pain and planted a garden. Isaiah 61:3 says He gives “beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and praise for the spirit of heaviness.” That promise has become the melody of this season of my life.

So, if you see me smiling for no reason, humming while I cook, or drifting into a daydream, it’s because something beautiful has blossomed where sorrow once sat. This love, in this season, is grace in motion. And I can almost hear God chuckling, saying, “Well, my daughter, it took a little longer than you planned… but oh, was it worth it!”

“God took the ashes of my pain and planted a garden. Beauty for ashes, joy for mourning, and praise for the spirit of heaviness.”

Love like this, patient, faithful, shaped by Scripture and softened by experience, grows quietly, almost reverently, in the spaces where trust is rebuilt and hope begins to bloom again. And as I continue walking this path, I’m reminded that God doesn’t just restore what we thought was lost… He creates something new, rooted in the lessons and grace of every chapter we’ve lived.

I don’t know exactly where this story is going, and that in and of itself holds excitement, but I do know this: I’m grateful, expectant, and fully trusting the One who is guiding each step. Love is unfolding, slowly and beautifully and I’m finally ready to receive it.

Author’s Note

As I wrote this piece, I was reminded once again that God’s timing is rarely predictable but always purposeful. If you are in a season of waiting, learning, or letting go; whether young, seasoned, or a widow, may you be encouraged: God is still tenderly writing your story, even now. Trust Him with the chapters ahead.

With love and faith,
Marie