3 Things I Wanted to Happen But I'm Glad They Didn't

There are things in life that you may have really wanted at one point, but some time later (days, years) you realize how glad you are that your wishes didn't come true. Here's 3 of mine:

1. Have a girlfriend

It may come as a complete shock, but I have always really wanted a girlfriend. Me? A normal guy? Can’t be. Yes. I’ve had countless crushes in my life, and as a youth, with no understanding of the value of a significant other, had no reason not to want to turn one of those crushes into something more official. Had I gotten what I wanted I would have given my first kiss away the first chance I got. I wouldn’t have given a second thought about getting physical with a girl. Sure I had the sense to save sex for marriage but I wonder how long that would have lasted.

I thank God that none of that ever happened. Maybe it was because I was too shy to ever do anything about getting a girl. Maybe it’s because I was never close enough to a girl to have had the opportunity to “make my move,” but I give the glory to God as the all-encompassing reason why I have managed to stay completely pure to this day. I would never give a winning lottery ticket as payment to see a movie just like I now understand the meaning and value of my first kiss and know to never give it away for anything less than it’s purpose and worth. *Offer only valid for my future wife.

When I finally do have a girlfriend it will be because I decided she’s the one and only one I want to have. I wouldn’t dare ask that of a girl until I am totally committed to seeing that happen.

2. Stay Living in Raytown near my friends

All of the above about me potentially throwing my purity out the window was at a time in my life when I lived in the not-so-respectable Raytown, MO. I had great friends who I miss very much but the kind of people we were surrounded by in school and in the hood in general were not good news. I received almost nothing but negative influence. When people in school found out I was a virgin they’d criticize me. I’d wear a Christian shirt and get picked on by girls in passing period. I never wore that shirt to school again.

This all contributed to my apathy, thereby allowing me to tolerate the situation. Still I loved my few close friends (you know who you are) and didn’t want to leave them. Also there was a girl. My parents broke the news to us that we were moving back to Olathe, basically for every reason you just read. We threw a fit. That was not gonna fly, despite the fact that years prior I threw the same fit upon hearing that we were moving to Raytown FROM Olathe.

This move was the start of God revealing to me how everything happens for a reason. I recall it as almost instantly that I noticed my relationship with my dad make a 180 from fighting almost everyday. In the 5 years that I’ve been back in Olathe I can probably count my fights with Dad on my fingers. I immediately found a church I could connect with that wasn’t 45 minutes away. I’d say it is in these last 5 years that I have become a Christian by definition and not just by title.

3. Get an internship at PIXAR

I recently applied for a character animation internship at Pixar studios in California. I did not get it. Why in the helicopter would I be glad I didn’t get into Pixar? Well this story has yet to be finished but I know without a doubt that something awesome is going to happen instead, as God allows time after time.