Her Story

It was near Christmas in 2013 when I first heard the name ‘Sam Koshy’. My roommate and close friend from college, Liz, had heard Sam sing at a friend’s home in Chennai and messaged me that evening, saying, “There’s a boy I think you might like.” I shoo-ed her and her bright ideas right away. I’d just put down roots as a reporter in Kochi; I had no plans of moving cities and I wasn’t keen on a long-distance relationship either. But Liz persisted. Every once in a while, she’d try getting us to meet or talk, but every time I made it to Chennai, Sam would have left for Kochi.

 

 

In the meanwhile, I happened to tell my mother about Liz’s bright idea. Amma immediately wanted to see Sam’s picture on Facebook. While trying to find one, we chanced upon the link to his blog. Over the next few days, Amma read almost every post on his blog, all the way down to its inception, came back to me and said, “I’ve a feeling that this is the one.” I was surprised at Amma’s certainty. But, I brushed that away too, thinking, “She’s not even met him!!” But Amma persisted. Every once in a while, she’d ask me, “Have you guys started talking? Have you met? Is anything up?”

 

 

Between Amma and Liz, I suspected that something fishy was up. Little did I know, that backstage to the play of my life, God was gently pulling strings.

 

 

In a matter of months,  I was transferred to the Chennai bureau of The Hindu, entirely unexpectedly. I also moved into Liz’s apartment. She gave me a few weeks to settle in and then said, “How’d you like to meet Sam someday?” There really seemed to be no escaping this Mr. Sam. So Liz, Sam, Mathew (Sam’s roommate) and I went for a truly miserable Malayalam movie together. Sam and I talked for a bit...we had dinner...saw a rat run under our table...and went home. Nothing. No neon signs. No fireworks. No lightning rod from the skies striking above Sam’s head screaming “This is the ONE!” Nothing.

 

 

A few days later, in a passing conversation with my third cousin Megha, I mentioned that I’d met a person she used to sing with, Sam. Megha’s next sentence was, “If your parents are looking for someone for you, I’d like to suggest Sam. I think you’ll would be great together.” I was stunned. Megha didn’t know Liz or my Amma. How could she have thought this up herself? There must be more to this than uncanny coincidence. And that’s when the prayers really began.  There was one prayer that I kept repeating, though. I kept telling the Lord that I didn’t want this, at any point, to be of man’s making. That if it really was from Him, it would happen without my forcing it into existence, without strife, and with His peace present always.

 

 

And that’s exactly what happened. Sam asked me out to dinner one Wednesday evening. We met again that Saturday, and again that Sunday, talking about what was most core to us as people  - our faith, our value systems, our sense of purpose for our lives - and we found ourselves aligned in the most effortless way. I came home that evening and told Liz, this is the one. I wasn’t madly in love; I wasn’t flushed with excitement; there were no pink hearts and red roses. I’d met Sam exactly three times alone, but I had a quiet assurance in my deepest being that this man was God-sent to me.

 

It’s been a roller-coaster of a ride since then, but God has kept his promise to me from Isaiah 45: 2,3

I will go before you

   and level the exalted places,

I will break in pieces the doors of bronze

   and cut through the bars of iron,

I will give you the treasures of darkness

   and the hoards in secret places,

that you may know that it is I, the Lord,

   the God of Israel, who call you by your name.

We’ve stood before seemingly unsurmountable mountains in this time, and they’ve all been rolled away one by one. Not by either of our efforts, but by the One who brought us together. We simply sat on the sidewalk and watched paths clear before us. In the deepest times of distress, we still had His peace. Over these months and days, that quiet assurance of knowing this is the One has only grown more rock solid. And I can’t wait to see where He takes us in the years to come. :)